Opinion ID: 552412
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Judicial Objectivity

Text: 24 The need to preserve judicial objectivity also militates against allowing district courts to modify plea agreements. Judicial involvement in plea negotiations could lead a defendant to believe that refusal of a court-supported plea offer would result in an unfair trial. The risk of not going along with the disposition that a judge apparently desires might lead a defendant to plead guilty even if innocent. Judicial involvement in the process also makes it more difficult for the judge to determine whether a plea was entered voluntarily. Furthermore, the unequal bargaining power of the judge and the accused raises obvious questions of fundamental fairness. The court is supposed to be an objective arbiter between the government and the individual. Participation in the plea bargaining process endangers the court's objectivity and thus could further undermine the criminal justice system. 2 25 The government argues that even if the original plea agreement was breached, Landon accepted a subsequent agreement that cured the breach. In support of this argument, the government cites United States v. Holman, 728 F.2d 809 (6th Cir.1984), where the district court had unconditionally accepted a Rule 11(e)(1)(C) plea agreement. Id. at 811. Upon reading the presentence report, the district court decided to reject the plea agreement and give the defendant an opportunity to withdraw his plea. Id. The defendant withdrew his plea, and his subsequent motion to have the original plea reinstated was denied. Id. The defendant then entered into a new plea agreement, which the court accepted. Id. The Sixth Circuit held that even though the district court improperly rejected the original plea agreement, the defendant's second plea agreement was made with a full understanding of the possible consequences [and therefore] cured any prejudice possible from the first proceeding. Id. at 813. 26 Although Landon did enter into a second plea agreement after the district court rejected the original agreement, the circumstances were significantly different. Because the second plea agreement was the result of the district court's improper reformation of the original plea agreement, the second plea agreement does not cure the problems of the original plea agreement. If the district court had merely rejected the agreement and allowed the parties to renegotiate, this court could have affirmed the sentence based on the subsequent plea agreement. When the district court modified the original plea agreement in its conclusions of law on February 14, 1990, it violated Rule 11. Furthermore, by telling Landon that he had eight days to make up his mind and that the district court would not accept Landon's former plea, the district court became even more of an advocate for its proposed reformation. Rule 11's absolute prohibition against judicial involvement in plea bargaining is specifically designed to prevent this loss of objectivity. 27 Therefore, since the district court did not have the authority under Rule 11 or under any of the relevant contract theories to modify Landon's original plea agreement, we reverse the district court and remand for reinstatement of the original plea agreement.