Court Opinion

ID: 9750089
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-28 14:18:14.320565+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:26:02.561838
License: Public Domain

Concurring Opinion by
Mr. Justice Roberts:
I agree that Commonwealth v. Maddox, 450 Pa. 406, 300 A. 2d 503 (1973), mandates the majority’s result. Accord, Commonwealth v. Jackson, 450 Pa. 417, 299 A. 2d 209 (1973).
However, I must reject the notion that Maddox, supra, established for the first time the requirement that before accepting a guilty plea, the trial court must first satisfy itself that a factual basis for the plea exists. In Commonwealth ex rel. West v. Rundle, 428 Pa. 102, 106, 237 A. 2d 196, 198 (1968), this Court said: “. . . the trial court is best advised to conduct an on the record examination of the defendant which should include, inter alia, an attempt to satisfy itself that the defendant understands the nature of the charges, his right to a jury trial, the acts sufficient to constitute the offenses for which he is charged and the permissible range of sentences.” (Emphasis added) (Footnotes omitted). (The United States Supreme Court cited this language with approval in Boykin v. United States, 395 U.S. 238, 244 n.7, 89 S. Ct. 1709, 1713 n.7 (1969)).
In 1968, this Court promulgated an amendment to Rule 319 of the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure which codified the procedure set forth in Commonwealth ex rel. West v. Rundle, supra. The Comment to Rule 319 specifically stated:
“It is difficult to formulate a checklist of questions which the judge should ask in making his determination as to whether he will accept the guilty plea. It is recommended that he at least ask questions to elicit the following information:
*471“(1) Does the defendant understand the nature of the charges to which he is pleading guilty?
(2) What acts defendant performed and whether these acts constitute the crime charged"!” (Emphasis added.).*
Thus, since at least February 3, 1969—-the effective date of amended Rule 319—it has been the rule of law in this Commonwealth that the trial court must determine whether there is a factual basis for the guilty plea before accepting the plea.
Indeed, this Court adhered to the factual basis requirement in Commonwealth v. LaCourt, 448 Pa. 86, 292 A. 2d 377 (1972)—decided over seven months prior to this Court’s decision in Maddow. There, we unanimously stated: “Thus it is clear that defendant’s second degree murder conviction was amply supported by Ms guilty plea and the evidence in the record. See the ABA Project on Minimum Standards for Criminal Justice, Standards Relating to Pleas of Guilty, §1.6 (Approved Draft, 1968) which states: ‘Notwithstanding the acceptance of a plea of guilty, the court should not enter a judgment upon such plea without making such inquiry as may satisfy it that there is a factual basis for the plea.’ The record here indeed provides a solid ‘factual basis for the plea.’ ” Id. at 90, 292 A. 2d at 379-80 (emphasis added).
Mr. Justice Manderino joins in this concurring opinion.

 Recently, without amendment to the pertinent part of Rule 319, the Comment was revised to replace question (2) with the following: “Is there a factual basis for the plea?” This revision, a stylistic change, merely emphasized a requirement that has existed in this Commonwealth since, at least, February 3, 1969—the effective date of amended Rule 319.