Plea Bargains
6 articles on plea bargains from Gavel Daily.
Oregon Dismissed 2,165 Cases Because Nobody Gave You a Lawyer. Then It Refiled 451 of Them.
Under State v. Roberts, Oregon must dismiss charges when an eligible defendant goes 60 days (misdemeanor) or 90 days (felony) after arraignment without appointed counsel. But the dismissal is without prejudice, and 451 of 2,165 dismissed cases have already come back. Here is what that actually means for someone waiting on a public defender.
Two Circuits Have Now Used the Supreme Court's New Appeal-Waiver Escape Hatch. Both Dismissed the Appeal Anyway.
In Hunter v. United States, the Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that a federal appeal waiver cannot be enforced when doing so would produce a miscarriage of justice. Two federal appeals courts have now applied that rule. Both dismissed the appeal in front of them. The Second Circuit's decision in United States v. Matos widened the doctrine and narrowed the practice in the same opinion.
Waive Your Jury in Louisiana and the DA Can Take Your Judge: HB 310 Took Effect August 1
Louisiana Act 541 took effect August 1, 2026. In districts with three or more criminal judges, filing to waive a jury now triggers automatic random reassignment of your case, and only the district attorney can stop it. A buried paragraph also restarts the speedy trial clock.
The Fine Print That Waives Your Appeal Can Now Be Torn Up: In Hunter v. United States the Supreme Court Says a Plea Deal Can't Lock In a 'Miscarriage of Justice'
On June 18, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that a federal plea deal's appeal waiver cannot be enforced when doing so would leave an egregious, system-discrediting error in place. Here is what the miscarriage-of-justice standard covers, what it still bars, and what it means for anyone who signed away their right to appeal.
Hunter v. United States Just Punched a Hole in Every Plea-Deal Appeal Waiver: The New 'Miscarriage of Justice' Exception Explained
On June 18, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that a federal appeal waiver cannot be enforced when doing so would leave in place an egregious error that brings the justice system into disrepute. Here is what Hunter v. United States changes for anyone weighing a plea deal.
When the Plea Deal Triggers Deportation: How Noncitizen Defendants Are Pulling Guilty Pleas Under Padilla in 2026
A 2025-2026 enforcement surge is sending noncitizen defendants back to court to vacate old guilty pleas under Padilla v. Kentucky. Here is how the doctrine works, which procedural vehicles are winning, and what the Supreme Court's Blanche v. Lau ruling could change.