Attorneys for Jussie Smollett are seeking to get the former “Empire” star out of Cook County jail on bond, as his family claims he’s being held in a “psych ward” to begin his five-month jail stay.

Andy Wallace, 35, was held without bail during a hearing Friday following his arrest on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated battery and aggravated discharge of a firearm stemming from the Feb. 22 shooting.

“I am innocent,” the former “Empire” star yelled as he left the court in custody. “I could have said I was guilty a long time ago.”

Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan pleaded not guilty Wednesday to 22 counts alleging that he orchestrated a criminal enterprise for a decade while serving as Illinois’ most powerful politician.

On Thursday, three months after a jury found him guilty of lying to police, actor Jussie Smollett returns for sentencing to the courtroom where he was found guilty of lying to police about an attack prosecutors contended he orchestrated himself.

A federal judge last week sentenced Diego Vargas after he pleaded guilty to maliciously attempting to damage and destroy a building by means of an explosive device.

Former state Sen. Tom Cullerton pleaded guilty to embezzlement Tuesday morning, more than two years after he was charged with fraudulently receiving salary and benefits from a labor union despite doing “little or no work.”

In his first public comments since the bombshell indictment was announced, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he cooperated fully with federal investigators and denied ever having conversations about appointing disgraced former Chicago Ald. Daniel Solis to a state position.

Michael Madigan, who served as speaker of the Illinois House for 36 years, led a criminal enterprise disguised as a political organization that was devoted to enriching himself and his associates, prosecutors alleged Wednesday.

Dennis Haggerty, 45, of Burr Ridge, pleaded guilty before a federal judge in Chicago to one count each of wire fraud and money laundering after taking millions from an Iowa hospital in exchange for personal protective equipment he never provided.

The first trial for one of the hundreds of Capitol riot prosecutions begins this week, with jury selection starting Monday in the case against Guy Wesley Reffitt. The trial may be a bellwether for many other Capitol riot cases.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced late Friday students and staff will no longer be required to wear masks in Illinois schools as of Monday, after the Illinois Supreme Court declined to take up his request to overturn an appellate court decision that prompted school districts across Illinois to drop their requirement that students and teachers wear face coverings to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Though cameras weren’t allowed during Smollett's trial late last year, Cook County Judge James Linn issued an order Friday allowing media organizations to film inside his courtroom during the actor's upcoming March 10 sentencing.

Officials with the Chicago Department of Public Health rejected the permit because of the “potential adverse changes in air quality and quality of life that would be caused by operations, and health vulnerabilities in the surrounding communities.” 

Hader Garcia, 18, was arrested and charged this week with one count of first-degree murder stemming from the fatal Dec. 18 shooting of 36-year-old ​​Richard Robinette. Garcia was denied bail during a hearing Friday afternoon.

The ruling declared the governor’s appeal moot because a General Assembly committee declined on Tuesday to reissue rules from the Illinois Department of Health requiring masks to be worn in school buildings.