The Second District determined in People v. Moore, 2018 IL App (2d) 170120 (June 21, 2018) that post-conviction counsel’s motion to withdraw was improperly granted because it did not address all claims in the petitioner’s pro se petition. The defendant in Moore filed a pro se post-conviction petition that exceeded 500 pages. The trial court advanced the petition to the second stage, and post-conviction counsel was appointed.
Post-Conviction counsel is permitted to file a motion to withdraw pursuant to People v. Greer, 212 Ill. 2d 192 (Ill. 2004) if, after reviewing the pro se petition, post-conviction counsel determines that all claims contained in the pro se petition are frivolous. Post-conviction counsel is required to explain in his or her motion to withdraw why every claim in the pro se petition is frivolous.
Moore’s post-conviction counsel filed a Greer motion in this case, and the the court granted the motion after a brief hearing. The State then moved to dismiss the petition, and the State’s motion was granted.
Moore argued on appeal, among other things, that the Greer motion should not have been granted because the Greer motion did not address all claims in the petitioner’s 500-plus-page pro se petition. The appellate court agreed, indicating that post-conviction counsel does not execute his duties under Supreme Court Rule 651(c) when he to she fails to address all claims in the pro se petition in the Greer motion. The case was remanded for 651(c) compliance and the appointment of new counsel.