People v. Smith

This is an appeal from the trial court’s dismissal of defendant Geraldine Smith’s pro se petition for postconviction relief and its subsequent denial of defendant’s motion to vacate the dismissal. Defendant raises the following issues: (1) whether the trial court violated the Post-Conviction Hearing Act (725 ILCS 5/122- — 1 et seq. (West 1996)) when it dismissed defendant’s pro se postconviction petition as frivolous and without merit; and (2) whether the trial court violated defendant’s right to due process of law when it dismissed her pro se postconviction petition on a status court date in…