Case Name: STATE of Louisiana v. Gilbert GAUTHE
Court: Louisiana Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1998-12-18
Citations: 731 So. 2d 273
Docket Number: No. 98-KP-1995
Parties: STATE of Louisiana v. Gilbert GAUTHE.
Judges: TRAYLOR, J. not on panel.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 731
Pages: 273–273

Head Matter:
STATE of Louisiana v. Gilbert GAUTHE.
No. 98-KP-1995.
Supreme Court of Louisiana.
Dec. 18, 1998.

Opinion:
IN RE: Gauthe, Gilbert; — Defendants); Applying for Supervisory and/or Remedial Writs; to the Court of Appeal, Third Circuit, Number KW98-0451; Parish of Lafayette 15th Judicial District Court Div. "C" Numbers 51998, 51999.
Writ granted. Because the plea colloquy in this case shows no ambiguity and so requires no extrinsic evidence for its interpretation, La.C.C. art. 1848; cf. State v. Louis, 94-0761 p. 7-8 (La.11/30/94), 645 So.2d 1144, 1148, and because no provision of law requires either the court or defendant to inform the state of the existence and nature of statutes on early release, cf. State ex rel. Miller v. Butler, 564 So.2d 310 (La.1990), clarified, 566 So.2d 383 (La.1990); La.C.Cr.P. art. 5; R.S. 14:17, the state makes no showing which would justify disturbing the finality of the convictions. See, e.g., State ex rel. Glover v. State, 93-2330, p. 12 (La.9/5/95), 660 So.2d 1189, 1196-97 (criminal proceedings should definitively "end within a reasonable period of time."); cf. United States v. DiFrancesco, 449 U.S. 117, 136, 101 S.Ct. 426, 437, 66 L.Ed.2d 328 (1980) (convicts as well as governments have expectation of finality). Accordingly, the district court is ordered to dismiss the state's motion for revocation or reformation of plea bargin.
TRAYLOR, J. not on panel.