People v. White

Defendant entered a blind guilty plea to one count of first-degree murder and was sentenced to 40 years in prison. He subsequently filed a petition for post-judgment relief under section 2-1401, alleging that his 40-year sentence was a de facto life sentence in violation of his constitutional rights. The circuit court denied his petition and the appellate court affirmed. The supreme court also affirmed, finding that after taking into account the seriousness of the crime and the defendant’s rehabilitative potential, defendant failed to state a meritorious claim that his sentence violated the proportionate penalties clause. (THEIS, NEVILLE, OVERSTREET, CUNNINGHAM, and O’BRIEN, concurring. ROCHFORD took no part in the decision)