Court Opinion

ID: 9600088
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 01:24:10.873395+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:01:49.967263
License: Public Domain

Johnson, J.
(dissenting) — The majority correctly identifies the holding in State v. Martin, 94 Wn.2d 1, 614 P.2d 164 (1980), but fails to apply it. By focusing on the continuance instead of the plea, the majority eviscerates the right to plead guilty established by Martin. Therefore I dissent.
The majority’s analysis of Martin is correct, even noting a defendant has the right to plead guilty "unhampered by a prosecuting attorney’s opinions or desires”. Majority, at 923 (quoting Martin, 94 Wn.2d at 5).
The majority then confuses that right by focusing on two irrelevant issues: the judge’s obligation to find a guilty plea is knowing, intelligent, and voluntary, and the judge’s discretion to continue an arraignment.
As the majority states, CrR 4.2(d) establishes the court’s obligation to satisfy itself as to the true voluntariness of a guilty plea. Under the rule, the judge could have rejected the plea if unsatisfied. This did not happen. There was no rejection of the plea due to involuntariness. Instead, the arraignment was continued so the prosecutor could provide the Defendant with additional information. The majority’s analysis of a judge’s right to reject a plea is irrelevant because the judge never rejected the plea here.
I also agree the judge has the discretion to grant a continuance. However, once the defendant has commenced the process of pleading guilty, the judge must complete the process without allowing the State to amend the information. The judge may accept or reject the plea at the original arraignment or at the continued arraignment. Whether the process is interrupted by a continuance is not important. What is important is that the defendant, having properly invoked his or her right to plead guilty, is allowed to do so without second-guessing by the prosecutor.
*930The timing of the arraignment is within the prosecutor’s control. When a prosecuting attorney chooses to arraign a defendant on first degree murder charges early in the investigatory process despite conflicting evidence, the prosecutor knows the defendant will be asked to enter a plea. If the defendant pleads guilty, the case is over. If a prosecutor wants to avoid this result, he or she can alter the timing of the arraignment.
The focal point in the analysis of this case occurred during the arraignment. The Defendant was called upon to enter a plea. At that point, the Defendant had two choices: guilty or not guilty. The Defendant attempted to plead guilty as was his right under Martin. The majority’s resolution, in eifect, creates a third option: guilty only if the prosecution agrees. This option was specifically rejected in Martin.
Utter, J., concurs with Johnson, J.
Reconsideration denied May 9, 1995.