Source: The Hill
by Austin Sarat
“Plea deals, in which defendantsagrees to give up their right to a trial and other rights in exchange for a reduction in charges or a sentence, are the grease that keeps the wheels of justice turning in the American legal system. The American Bar Association’s Plea-Bargaining Task Force explains that ‘some jurisdictions have not had a criminal trial in many years.’ But it wasn’t always this way. The explosion of plea bargaining in this country has been facilitated by a series of Supreme Court decisions that have given prosecutors wide latitude to offer inducements and make threats to get defendants to waive their right to trial. This year, on June 18, the court took a step to curb one of the most serious injustices in the plea-bargaining system, while ignoring its everyday injustices and the damage it does.” (07/20/26)
https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/supreme-court/5975151-scotus-hunter-v-united-states/