Source: https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/73/364/556853/
Timestamp: 2019-04-24 10:09:40+00:00

Document:
Before FLAUM, MANION and DIANE P. WOOD, Circuit Judges.
In 1986, Earl Tadlock robbed a 64-year-old woman at gunpoint and then struck her in the back of the neck with a rifle, breaking bones in her neck and rendering her unconscious. Tadlock pled guilty to robbery and was sentenced to 35 years in prison by an Indiana court. The sentence was imposed pursuant to Tadlock's second plea agreement. His first plea agreement, which called for the minimum sentence of 20 years of imprisonment, was rejected by the trial court. Tadlock filed a Sec. 2254 petition alleging that his due process rights were violated because the prosecutor failed to recommend the initial plea agreement to the trial court. The district court denied the petition, and Tadlock appeals.
Tadlock negotiated his first plea agreement with Chief Deputy Prosecutor Terry Maurer. The court held an initial hearing regarding the change of plea, where Tadlock waived his right to a trial and the production of a presentence report was ordered. Following the production of the presentence report, a sentencing hearing was held. At the sentencing hearing, the court indicated that, in light of the presentence report, it "may be inclined not to accept the plea agreement." I State R. at 169. After the defense attorney spoke in favor of the agreement, the court asked the prosecutor to comment. Because a new county prosecutor had taken office, the state of Indiana was represented not by Maurer but by a different prosecuting attorney: Daniel Steiner. Steiner stated that he was "not in [a] position at this time to say whether the present office of the prosecuting attorney ... has a pro or a con position regarding this particular agreement." State R. at 179. Steiner asked for a continuance to allow him to review the case file, which the court granted.
At the continued hearing, the court asked the state (represented by Mr. Steiner) "if there would be prejudice to the State if the court rejected the plea agreement." Steiner replied that "I don't believe there is a compelling reason that we would absolutely have to have entered into this agreement or that the court could not reject it and that the State would not be unduly prejudiced if the court rejected the plea agreement." State R. at 184. The court then rejected the agreement.
Tadlock argues that Steiner's statements constituted a breach of his duty to recommend the first plea agreement to the court. The Indiana courts rejected this argument in Tadlock's state post-conviction proceedings, holding that the prosecutor fulfilled his duty by submitting the plea agreement to the court for consideration. R. 11, Indiana Appellate Court decision at 5.1 Tadlock argues, however, that the prosecutor had an affirmative duty to recommend the agreement to the trial court and that he failed to do so.
The prosecutor is bound by the terms of the plea agreement and may not make a recommendation contrary to the agreement. See Santobello v. New York, 404 U.S. 257, 262-63 (1971). Although the prosecutor has no duty to make his recommendation "enthusiastically" or to clearly explain to the court the reasons that the state entered into the agreement, United States v. Benchimol, 471 U.S. 453, 456 (1985),2 he may not undermine the plea agreement by expressing personal reservations about the bargain. See United States v. Clark, 55 F.3d 9, 12-13 (1st Cir. 1995); United States v. Canada, 960 F.2d 263, 269 (1st Cir. 1992); United States v. Grandinetti, 564 F.2d 723, 725 (5th Cir. 1977); United States v. Brown, 500 F.2d 375, 377 (4th Cir. 1974).

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