Court Opinion

ID: 9461643
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 22:20:20.37209+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:37:11.180120
License: Public Domain

FAIRCHILD, Chief Judge.
I respectfully dissent.
In 1972 it seems that Anderson was clearly entitled to proceed under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 on the ground that his “sentence was in excess of the maximum authorized by law” and was entitled to have his sentence vacated for resentenc-ing within the one year maximum appropriate for the charge of which he had been convicted, or to have it corrected to such one year. He sought, however, to attack the conviction (and underlying guilty plea) as well, and was successful.
It seems to me that setting aside the conviction and plea cleared the way for the new indictment and conviction of the more serious offense. The record demonstrates, moreover, that originally the defense and the prosecution labored under a mutual mistake in that both supposed Anderson could and would be sentenced to ten years. Under the circumstances, the ten year sentence ultimately imposed does not seem unfair even though, as a result of a mistake, he once had a “vested” right in a one year sentence which he surrendered.