The problem is that a procedural exists for a reason. The lawyers probably threatened to fight the hell back because these leaks are not supposed to happen in the first place even if Smollett is shitting them on national television.
Yeah, I agree, everyone has a right to an impartial jury - I'm just 'bothsidesing' this that its as much
his fault that there was public preconception before any arrests were made as unknown leakers.
I'd imagine its the weakness of the actual charges that were the deciding factor, not the tainting of any potential jury.
Because a false police report against nobody in particular, apropos of nothing, unrelated to any other investigations, I don't see being a thing a rich first time offender with a good lawyer is even going to see more than a fine for in the first place.
e: and thats ignoring 'the optics' on the chicago PD with their, lets say
questionable history of dealing with the black community going
hard on a black dude for lying to cops in a way that they didn't do for, you know,
certain other cases they've been involved in.