Puckett v. United States

Amicus curiae brief of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in support of petitioner.

Brief filed: 11/24/2008

Documents

Puckett v. United States

United States Supreme Court; Case No. 07-9712

Prior Decision

Case below 505 F.3d 377 (5th Cir. 2007)

Question Presented

Whether a forfeited claim that the government breached a plea agreement is subject t0 the plain-error standard of Rule 52(b) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.

Argument(s)

Prosecutorial breaches of plea agreements undermine the plea bargaining process and the criminal justice system at large, and the Court should adopt a rule requiring automatic reversal for government breaches of plea agreements.

Author(s)

Kevin P. Martin, Dahlia S. Fetouh, Jodi B. Kalagher and Natalie F. Langlois, Goodwin Proctor LLP, Boston, MA.