Court Opinion

ID: 9519697
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 01:22:58.942748+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:44:36.984954
License: Public Domain

Mr. JUSTICE ALLOY, dissenting: I agree with the majority opinion in its treatment of all the issues with the exception of the discussion and determination relating to the issue as to waiver of jmy trial. We are dealing here with the situation where there is a specific written waiver of jury in the case which was tried in which defendant was found guilty. There was, however, no written waiver of jury trial in the remaining cases where defendant pleaded guilty. In People v. Long, 27 Ill.App.3d 457, 460, 326 N.E.2d 204, 206, we stated specifically: “It is clear that defendant is required to demonstrate in what way there was a failure of substantial compliance with Supreme Court Rule 402 (People v. Krantz, 58 Ill.2d 187, 317 N.E.2d 559.) He must also show that such failure to substantially comply resulted in prejudice to defendant. (People v. Dudey, 58 Ill.2d 57, 316 N.E.2d 773.)” We pointed out there that literal compliance with Rule 402 is not required. In the Long case the only record before the court was a docket notation. We accepted that docket notation as sufficient to show substantial compliance with Rule 402. While it is true that in other cases we have pointed out that a failure of a transcript to show an admonition with respect to waiver of jury was a basis for reversal, this presupposes that the report of proceedings is complete and that everything which was said by the trial judge appears in the report of proceedings. In the instant case, the bystander’s report was signed in two segments by trial judges, and in each case the trial judge simply certified that the bystander’s report be deemed a part of the report of proceedings. Nowhere is there a complete report of proceedings certified. In the light of the written waiver of jury trial and no affirmative showing that there was an omission to admonish as to waiver of jury, I conclude that the defendant has failed to demonstrate that there was a failure of substantial compliance with Rule 402 as to waiver of jury in this case. I do not believe that this would hold true for the cases in which defendant pleaded guilty, since the certification in that case shows that defendant advised the court that he desired to plead guilty to the three additional offenses and says nothing whatsoever about any admonition to defendant as to those three charges. The effort by the State to submit a bystander’s report was not pursued effectively. There is nothing in the record with respect to the three cases in which defendant pleaded guilty to show a waiver of jury trial. As a consequence, I agree that those three cases should be reversed and remanded as indicated in the majority opinion. In the case which was tried, however, I believe that the written waiver of jury trial was not shown by defendant to have been improperly waived or inadequately explained to defendant, nor was there a complete record from which it could be pointed out that there was no such admonition. As a consequence, I would affirm the conviction of defendant on the charge which was tried, and reverse as to the other charges by reason of the procedure and the record as actually submitted in this cause.