Opinion ID: 521024
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Denial of Motion to Plead Guilty

Text: 18 Robtoy contends that the Washington Supreme Court's refusal to allow him to alter his plea to guilty violated his right to due process because his right to make a voluntary and intelligent plea was denied when he was not informed at his arraignment that a plea of guilty would result in a maximum sentence of life with parole. However, Robtoy's contention cannot constitute the basis for a writ of habeas corpus. Although Robtoy may have been misinformed by his counsel and the court as to the consequences of a guilty plea, he did allow a plea of not guilty to be entered for him. Thus, he cannot argue he was coerced to give up the rights inherent in a trial. Moreover, there is no federally guaranteed right to have a court accept a plea of guilty. North Carolina v. Alford, 400 U.S. 25, 39 n. 11, 91 S.Ct. 160, 168 n. 11, 27 L.Ed.2d 162 (1970). Accordingly, Robtoy has failed to show that the state's refusal to allow him to change from a not guilty to a guilty plea deprived him of a federal right; thus, we cannot grant him relief under 28 U.S.C. Sec. 2254.