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Brady v. United States, 397 U.S. 742 (1970)
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General SummaryThis case is from a collection containing the full text of over 16,000 Supreme Court cases from 1793 to the present. The body of Supreme Court decisions are, effectively, the final interpretation of the Constitution. Only an amendment to the Constitution can permanently overturn an interpretation and this has happened only four times in American history.
Brady v. United States, 397 U.S. 742 (1970)
Brady v. United States No. 270 Argued November 18, 1969 Decided May 4, 1970 397 U.S. 742
CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT
Syllabus
Petitioner was indicted in 1959 for kidnaping and not liberating the victim unharmed in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1201(a), which imposed a maximum penalty of death if the jury’s verdict so recommended. Upon learning that his codefendant, who had confessed, would plead guilty and testify against him, petitioner changed his plea from not guilty to guilty. The trial judge accepted the plea after twice questioning petitioner (who was represented throughout by competent counsel) as to the voluntariness of his plea, and imposed sentence. In 1967, petitioner sought post-conviction relief, in part on the ground that § 1201(a) operated to coerce his plea. The District Court, after hearing, denied relief, concluding that petitioner’s plea was voluntary and had been induced not by that statute, but by the development concerning his confederate. The Court of Appeals affirmed. Petitioner claims that United States v. Jackson, 390 U.S. 570 (1968), requires reversal of that holding.
Held: On the record in this case, there is no basis for disturbing the judgment of the courts below that petitioner’s guilty plea was voluntary. Pp. 745-758.
(a) Though United States v. Jackson, supra, prohibits imposition of the death penalty under § 1201(a), it does not hold that all guilty pleas encouraged by the fear of possible death are involuntary, nor does it invalidate such pleas, whether involuntary or not. Pp. 745-748.
(b) A plea of guilty is not invalid merely because entered to avoid the possibility of the death penalty, and here, petitioner’s plea of guilty met the standard of voluntariness, as it was made "by one fully aware of the direct consequences" of that plea. Pp. 749-755.
(c) Petitioner’s plea, made after advice by competent counsel, was intelligently made, and the fact that petitioner did not anticipate United States v. Jackson, supra, does not impugn the truth or reliability of that plea. Pp. 756-758.
404 F.2d 601, affirmed.
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Chicago: U.S. Supreme Court, "Syllabus," Brady v. United States, 397 U.S. 742 (1970) in 397 U.S. 742 397 U.S. 743. Original Sources, accessed November 24, 2024, http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=Z2QM5D3TWWSHZS9.
MLA: U.S. Supreme Court. "Syllabus." Brady v. United States, 397 U.S. 742 (1970), in 397 U.S. 742, page 397 U.S. 743. Original Sources. 24 Nov. 2024. http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=Z2QM5D3TWWSHZS9.
Harvard: U.S. Supreme Court, 'Syllabus' in Brady v. United States, 397 U.S. 742 (1970). cited in 1970, 397 U.S. 742, pp.397 U.S. 743. Original Sources, retrieved 24 November 2024, from http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=Z2QM5D3TWWSHZS9.
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