Hunter v. United States · ¶48

Eventually, though, this Court took a dramatic turn. In 1971, it proclaimed plea bargaining “highly desirable,” something “to be encouraged,” and “an essential component of the administration of justice.” Santobello v. New York, 404 U. S. 257, 260–261. “If every criminal charge were subjected to a full-scale trial,” the Court worried, “the States and the Federal Government would need to multiply by many times the number of judges and court facilities.” Id., at 260; see also Brady v. United States, 397 U. S. 742, 745– 746, 749–753 (1970) (upholding the validity of a plea entered pursuant to a sentencing scheme the Court had invalidated as unconstitutionally coercive just two years earlier).

preliminary print (page proof)
Source edition
Passage preview. Read in context for the complete text, notes and references.