Opinion ID: 1918267
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: whether the trial court judge impermissibly engaged in plea bargain negotiations.

Text: ¶ 15. Goss alleges that Judge Gordon actively participated in plea bargain negotiations and thereby violated applicable rules of court, which ultimately coerced him into pleading guilty. Specifically, Goss argues that during a pretrial motion hearing, Judge Gordon stated to the defendant (1) that if pretrial motions are presented to the court, then the defendant will not be allowed to enter into any plea bargain agreement, (2) that the defendant may be required to proceed to trial on the merits of the case, and (3) that if convicted, the defendant would be sentenced to serve life imprisonment without parole. Goss relies upon United States v. Miles, 10 F.3d 1135 (5th Cir.1993), wherein the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that federal district court judges are prohibited by Fed. R.Crim. Pro. 11(e)(1) from judicial involvement in plea-bargain negotiations. ¶ 16. This Court takes note that Mississippi judges are likewise prohibited from participating in plea discussions pursuant to URCCC 8.04(B)(4) which reads in pertinent part: The trial judge shall not participate in any plea discussion. The court may designate a cut-off date for plea discussions and may refuse to consider the recommendation after that date. ¶ 17. However, URCCC 8.02(B)(2)(b) also provides that any recommendation [made] to the trial court for a particular sentence ... will not be binding upon the court. Accordingly, the decision to accept or reject a plea agreement is purely within the trial judge's discretion. Furthermore, each of Judge Gordon's statements about which Goss complains was true. If Goss had not pled guilty, he would have proceeded to trial. If Goss had been convicted, upon proper proof of his habitual offender status, Goss would have been facing a mandatory life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Therefore, not only was Judge Gordon not actively participating in plea negotiations, he was ensuring that Goss was fully informed of what he would be facing if he chose not to go forth with plea bargain negotiations. ¶ 18. Furthermore, Judge Gordon did not err in advising Goss and his counsel that once pretrial motions were presented to the court, Goss would not be allowed to enter into any plea bargain agreement. In accordance with URCCC 8.04(B)(4), [t]he court may designate a cut-off date for plea discussions and may refuse to consider the recommendation after that date. By advising Goss that no plea agreement would be considered once pretrial motions were heard by the court, Judge Gordon was acting within his authority. This Court notes that this procedure promotes judicial efficiency in that the court does not spend time hearing pretrial motions that are automatically rendered moot in the event the defendant pleads guilty. Accordingly, there is no merit to this claim.