Court Opinion

ID: 9819083
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-01 06:18:22.538976+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:38:29.177088
License: Public Domain

CHIEF JUSTICE HARRISON, concurring in part and dissenting in part: I agree with the majority’s conclusion that the circuit court erred in dismissing Williams’ post-conviction petition. I write separately because I would go beyond the majority’s disposition and hold that Williams is entitled to immediate post-conviction relief. Regardless of the outcome of any further proceedings on remand, Williams’ convictions and sentences cannot stand. That is so because she was tried, convicted and sentenced under a system of capital punishment that is fatally defective. Our court has now adopted a comprehensive set of new rules governing the conduct of cases in which the State is seeking the death penalty. For the reasons set forth in my dissenting opinion in People v. Hickey, 204 Ill. 2d 585, 631-36 (2001) (Harrison, C.J., dissenting), the procedures contained in those rules are indispensable for achieving an accurate determination of innocence or guilt and are applicable to all capital cases now coming before us on review. Whether the new rules will be sufficient to place this State’s capital punishment system within the tolerances permitted by the State and federal constitutions is a question we cannot yet answer. It is clear, however, that no proceeding conducted without the benefit of those rules can be deemed rehable. As a result, remanding for further proceedings on Williams’ petition is unnecessary. Rather, we should grant Williams relief on the merits, set aside her convictions and sentences, and order that she be granted a new trial without further delay. JUSTICE KILBRIDE, also concurring in part and dissenting in part: I concur in part with the majority’s judgment that the circuit court erred in dismissing the post-conviction petition. Nevertheless, I agree with Chief Justice Harrison that defendant’s convictions and sentence should be set aside because the trial proceedings were not conducted in accordance with the new supreme court rules governing capital cases. As I stated in my dissents in People v. Hickey, 204 Ill. 2d 585, 636-40 (2001) (Kilbride, J., dissenting), and People v. Simpson, 204 Ill. 2d 536, 581-85 (2001) (Kilbride, J., dissenting), I believe that the new rules should be applied retroactively. See People v. Caballero, 179 Ill. 2d 205, 220-21 (1997). Thus, this cause should be remanded for a new trial conducted in compliance with the new rules.