The 10-minute status hearing Tuesday was the first since the civil case was moved to federal court from state court. The former “Empire” actor didn’t attend the hearing in Chicago.

“You’ll see pictures of him in the background,” Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier said, without elaborating. He promised “surprises at the beginning of the season that you’re going to love.”

The high-profile case won’t be transferred to another court and the judge handling the proceedings has denied Jussie Smollett’s efforts to get involved.

Sheila O’Brien, the retired appellate judge who successfully petitioned for a special prosecutor to review the Jussie Smollett case, says four motions filed last week by the actor’s California-based attorneys should be ignored.

Attorneys for the former “Empire” actor continue to proclaim their client’s innocence, and say a judge’s recent decision to allow a special prosecutor to review criminal charges against the actor is a “travesty of justice.”

Chicago police on Monday released hundreds of files from the investigation into Jussie Smollett’s claim he was attacked by two men, including releasing video footage for the first time of the “Empire” actor wearing a thin white rope wrapped around his neck.

In a ruling that leaves open the possibility that actor Jussie Smollett could be charged again, Cook County Judge Michael Toomin suggested Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx mishandled the case.

The city of Chicago has released two 911 calls made after “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett claimed he was the victim of a racist, homophobic attack.

As she releases 2,000 pages of documents related to the high-profile case, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx claims she recused herself because of a false rumor that she was related to the “Empire” actor.

A Cook County judge will decide next month whether a special prosecutor is needed to review the handling of the Jussie Smollett case by the state’s attorney’s office.

A new trove of documents is shedding light on the Chicago Police Department’s investigation into “Empire” star Jussie Smollett’s “false report” that he was the victim of a hate crime.

The Cook County Clerk on Thursday released more than 250 pages related to the “Empire” star’s abruptly halted prosecution for allegedly filing a false police report. Read the entire file.

A Cook County judge vacated a sealing order that had kept the case file removed from the public eye following intense public scrutiny over the prosecution’s handling and dismissal of the high-profile case.

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and her top assistant will not have to testify about their dismissal of criminal charges against “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett despite a request for a special prosecutor to investigate how that case was handled.

President Donald Trump used a ceremony for fallen law enforcement officers on Wednesday to criticize big-city prosecutors he asserts don’t go after criminals who pose a severe threat to public safety. He singled out prosecutors in Chicago and Philadelphia.

“Empire” will return for its final season this fall on Fox — with Jussie Smollett a question mark — and should count itself lucky.  Fox is hitting the reset button for the 2019-20 season by cancelling eight shows and adding 10 new ones.