Opinion ID: 2590556
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: limited right of appeal

Text: ¶20 Before accepting a plea, rule 11(e) also requires the district court to find that the defendant has been advised that the right of appeal is limited. Utah R. Crim. P. 11(e)(8). Corwell contends that this language requires the district court to explain the numerous . . . appeal issues that she [would] waive[] by pleading guilty. We disagree. Nothing in rule 11(e) requires a detailed explanation of how a guilty plea may affect the particular grounds for appeal. Just as we have held that the district court is not required to separately communicate[] the individual aspects of the speedy trial right, Visser, 2000 UT 88 at ¶ 14, we similarly hold that the district court is not required to separately communicate the individual aspects of a defendant's limited right of appeal. ¶21 To conclude that the district court strictly complied with rule 11(e), we must determine that the record supports the district court's finding that Corwell was informed of her limited right of appeal. Although the district court did not discuss the limited right of appeal with Corwell during the plea colloquy, Corwell's plea affidavit adequately described the limits on her right of appeal when it informed her that she would waive her right to appeal her conviction if she pleaded guilty. The district court properly incorporated this affidavit into the record when it questioned Corwell as to whether she had sufficient time to read the affidavit and whether she understood her rights as explained in that document. [3] We accordingly hold that the record supports the district court's conclusion that Corwell was informed of her limited right of appeal. See Maguire, 830 P.2d at 217 (holding that a plea affidavit can be incorporated into the record if the district court conduct[s] an inquiry to establish that the defendant understands the affidavit and voluntarily signed it (internal quotations omitted)). The court of appeals therefore erred when it held to the contrary.