Opinion ID: 2720466
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Gordon factors

Text: A defendant may withdraw a guilty plea before sentencing if he “can show a fair and just reason for requesting the withdrawal.” Fed. R. Crim. P. 11(d)(2)(B). We have identified seven factors to guide a court’s decision on whether to grant withdrawal: “(1) whether the defendant has asserted his innocence, (2) prejudice to the government, (3) delay in filing defendant’s motion, (4) inconvenience to the court, (5) defendant’s assistance of counsel, (6) whether the plea is knowing and voluntary, and (7) waste of judicial resources.” United States v. Hamilton, 510 F.3d 1209, 1214 (10th Cir. 2007) (quoting United States v. Gordon, 4 F.3d 1567, 1572 (10th Cir. 1993)). We also have “suggested an additional factor to consider: the likelihood of conviction.” United States v. Carr, 80 F.3d 413, 421 n.5 (10th Cir. 1996) (citing United States v. Glover, 911 F.2d 419, 421 (10th Cir. 1990)). If the defendant fails to carry his or her burden on asserted innocence, validity of the plea (whether it was given knowingly and voluntarily), and ineffective assistance of counsel, Hamilton, 510 F.3d at 1217, the court need not address “the remaining factors . . . because these [remaining] factors speak to the potential burden on the government and the court, rather than the defendant’s reason for withdrawal,” id.; see also United States v. Byrum, 567 F.3d 1255, 1265 (10th Cir. 2009). b. District court discretion and standard of review Whether to permit withdrawal “always and ultimately lies within the sound discretion of the district court to determine on a case by case basis when the standard is - 13 - and isn’t met.” United States v. Soto, 660 F.3d 1264, 1267 (10th Cir. 2011) (quotations omitted). “Our review of a district court’s denial of a motion to withdraw a guilty plea is for abuse of discretion.” Hamilton, 510 F.3d at 1213-14. “Although a motion to withdraw a plea prior to sentencing should be freely allowed, we will not reverse a district court’s decision unless the defendant can show that the court acted unjustly or unfairly.” Id. (quotations omitted); see also Fed. R. Crim. P. 11(d)(2)(B). We review legal conclusions de novo, such as whether the plea was made knowingly and voluntarily or whether counsel was ineffective. See Hamilton, 510 F.3d at 1213-15. We review factual findings for clear error. See United States v. Graves, 106 F.3d 342, 343 (10th Cir. 1997).