No. 21-6749

Matthew Sullivan v. Daniel Sproul, Warden

Lower Court: Seventh Circuit
Docketed: 2021-12-30
Status: Denied
Type: IFP
Response WaivedIFP
Tags: brady-v-united-states criminal-procedure guilty-plea legal-clarification misinformation plea-validity post-conviction post-conviction-relief sentencing-enhancement statutory-penalty
Latest Conference: 2022-02-18
Question Presented (from Petition)

May a criminal defendant attack the validity of his guilty plea when a post conviction clarification in law reveals that he was misinformed regarding the statutory penalty attached to his charged offense?

May this Court's decision in Bousley v United States, 523 U.S. 614 (1998), which created an exception to this Court's earlier holding in Brady v United States, 397 U.S. 742 (1970), be extended to include challenges to the validity of a guilty plea when a post conviction clarification in law reveals that the defendant is actually innocent of a mandatory sentencing enhancement and is misinformed of the relevant circumstances surrounding the plea and the direct consquences of the plea?

Does this Court's holding in Brady forclose a defendant's challenge that his plea agreement is voidable under contract law principles?

Question Presented (AI Summary)

May a criminal defendant attack the validity of his guilty plea when a post conviction clarification in law reveals that he was misinformed regarding the statutory penalty attached to his charged offense?

Docket Entries

2022-02-22
Petition DENIED.
2022-01-13
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 2/18/2022.
2022-01-06
Waiver of right of respondent Daniel Sproul, Warden to respond filed.
2021-12-18
Petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed. (Response due January 31, 2022)

Attorneys

Daniel Sproul, Warden
Elizabeth B. PrelogarSolicitor General, Respondent
Matthew Sullivan
Matthew Sullivan — Petitioner