Opinion ID: 2515997
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: did the district court abuse its discretion in denying the appellant's motion to withdraw his guilty pleas?

Text: [¶ 27] We have recently reiterated the standard by which a district court determines whether to grant a motion to withdraw a guilty plea after sentencing and the standard by which we review a denial of such a motion: W.R.Cr.P. 32(d) provides that if a motion to withdraw a plea is made after sentencing, a plea may be set aside only to correct manifest injustice. Manifest injustice contemplates a situation that is unmistakable or indisputable, was not foreseeable, and affects the substantial rights of a party. McCarthy v. State, 945 P.2d 775, 776 (Wyo.1997). It is, in part, intended to address `a fundamental defect which inherently results in a complete miscarriage of justice or an omission inconsistent with the rudimentary demands of fair procedure.' United States v. Blackwell, 127 F.3d 947, 956 (10th Cir.1997) (quoting United States v. Todaro, 982 F.2d 1025, 1028 (6th Cir.), cert. denied, 508 U.S. 943, 113 S.Ct. 2424, 124 L.Ed.2d 645 (1993) and F.R.Cr.P. 32(d)). The party seeking to withdraw his pleas bears the burden of demonstrating manifest injustice. State v. McDermott, 962 P.2d 136, 139 (Wyo.1998). Justification for this heightened standard for withdrawal of a plea after sentencing is based in the practical considerations important to the proper administration of justice. Before sentencing, the inconvenience to court and prosecution resulting from a change of plea is ordinarily slight as compared with the public interest in protecting the right of the accused to trial by jury. But if a plea of guilty could be retracted with ease after sentence, the accused might be encouraged to plead guilty to test the weight of potential punishment, and withdraw the plea if the sentence were unexpectedly severe. The result would be to undermine respect for the courts and fritter away the time and painstaking effort devoted to the sentencing process. Id. at 138 (quoting Hicklin v. State, 535 P.2d 743, 749 (Wyo.1975) and Kadwell v. United States, 315 F.2d 667, 670 (9th Cir.1963)) (emphasis in original). A district court has discretion in determining whether a party has proved manifest injustice. Absent an abuse of that discretion, we will not disturb the district court's determination. McDermott, 962 P.2d at 138. A district court's decision to deny a motion to withdraw a plea will not be reversed for an abuse of discretion so long as the district court reasonably could conclude as it did. Nixon v. State, 4 P.3d 864, 869 (Wyo.2000). Browning v. State, 2001 WY 93, ¶¶ 27-28, 32 P.3d 1061, 1069-70 (Wyo.2001). [¶ 28] In the instant case, the appellant's motion to withdraw pleas is premised upon the three arguments previously discussed herein. Since we have already concluded that W.R.Cr.P. 11 was not violated by the district court's advisements or by its proceeding to sentencing on the basis of the 1992 PSI, and that the appellant's trial counsel was not ineffective, the appellant has failed to show such manifest injustice as would require the district court to have allowed him to withdraw his pleas. [¶ 29] The judgment of the district court is affirmed in all respects.