Court Opinion

ID: 9540865
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 16:20:23.375908+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:01:23.368613
License: Public Domain

JUSTICE RYAN, dissenting: The majority found that the trial court considered improper factors in sentencing defendant and remanded the cause to the circuit court for resentencing. As noticed in the opinion, the question of considering an improper factor in aggravation was not properly raised in the trial court. The opinion, however, avoided the waiver rule that is usually invoked because of such failure by applying the plain error doctrine. The opinion never addressed another waiver principle which the State asserted, that is, that the defendant never raised the issue upon which the remandment is based in the appellate court. The State asserts that the defendant does not deny that the claim that the trial court improperly relied on an aggravating factor was not raised by the defendant in the appellate court. The opinion acknowledges that the State raised the issue of waiver because of this failure. Instead of addressing this issue the opinion relies on the plain error doctrine as applied by the appellate court in People v. Henderson (1970), 119 Ill. App. 2d 403, and our Rule 615 (107 Ill. 2d R. 615). Henderson involved an application of the plain error doctrine in the appellate court after a failure to raise a question in the appellate court briefs. That is not the question before us. Also, our Rule 615 only authorizes a court of review to notice plain errors or defects affecting substantial rights that were not brought to the attention of the trial court. That also is not the question before us. Permitting the defendant to raise an issue in this court after his failure to raise it in the appellate court allows a defendant to try his case on one theory in the appellate court and if he loses to try his case on a different theory in this court. In effect such a procedure permits a direct appeal from the trial court to this court as to the issue not raised in the appellate court. This is contrary to the provisions of article VI, sections 4(b) and 6, of the Illinois Constitution of 1970 and our Rule 302 (107 Ill. 2d R. 302). If the error relied on by the majority is in fact plain error or if substantial rights were affected by this error, why then was the issue not raised in the appellate court? Our Rule 341(e)(7) (107 Ill. 2d R. 341(e)(7)) provides that points not argued in the appellant’s brief are waived. Thus the defendant in our case, by not raising the issue relied on by the majority opinion in the appellate court, has waived the alleged error. This court has held on numerous occasions that the failure of a party to present an alleged error to the appellate court precludes him from asserting that ground for consideration in this court as to all matters not jurisdictional. People v. Fink (1982), 91 Ill. 2d 237, 241; People v. Caldwell (1968), 39 Ill. 2d 346, 355; Williams v. Consumers Co. (1933), 352 Ill. 51, 59; Tegtmeyer v. Tegtmeyer (1932), 348 Ill. 434, 440; People v. Davis (1925), 318 Ill. 179, 182; People v. Garwood (1925), 317 Ill. 578, 579-80; People v. Walczak (1924), 315 Ill. 49, 57. I would hold that because the defendant failed to raise in the appellate court the question of the trial court’s error in relying on improper aggravating factors, the issue has been waived and should not be considered in this court. I would therefore affirm. If the failure of the defendant’s attorney to raise this issue in the appellate court involves a question of effective assistance of counsel, that question can be dealt with in a post-conviction hearing. Resolving this issue involves different considerations from those involved in determining the question now before this court. MORAN, C.J., and MILLER, J., join in this dissent.