Missouri v. Frye and Lafler v. Cooper

In Missouri v. Frye and Lafler v. Cooper, the Supreme Court expands review of the actions of defense attorney in counseling their client regarding plea negotiations by the judiciary. On Wednesday, March 12th, the court held that counsel may be found ineffective if he or she fails to properly inform the defendant of a beneficial plea agreement offered by the prosecution, or if he or she incorrectly advises defendant on the state of the law, leading the defendant to reject a beneficial plea agreement.

Galin E. Frye was charged with driving with a revoked license. Because of previous convictions, he faced a felony charge carrying a maximum sentence of four years. The prosecution offered Frye a plea deal by way of a letter to his counsel. The deal included an offer to reduce the charge to a misdemeanor and recommend a 90 day sentence. Counsel didn’t bring the offer to Frye and it expired. He pled guilty without an underlying plea agreement was sentenced to three years in prison.

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Turner v. Rogers

   On Wednesday, March 23 the Supreme Court considered the case of Michael D. Turner, an indigent defendant who was sentenced by a South Carolina family court to a year in prison for failing to pay child support at a civil contempt hearing without the assistance of counsel. In 1979, in Scott v. Illinois, the Court held that the Sixth Amendment right to counsel is present in any proceeding that carries the possibility of criminal imprisonment.

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