Hunter v. United States · ¶50

In a decision perhaps unthinkable only a few decades earlier, this Court in Bordenkircher endorsed the prosecutor's tactics. However things might work in “ `an ideal world,' ” the Court said, “ `the fact is that the guilty plea and the often concomitant plea bargain are important components of this country's criminal justice system.' ” Id., at 361–362 (quoting Blackledge v. Allison, 431 U. S. 63, 71 (1977)). As the Court saw things, prosecutors need room to issue threats in plea bargaining—even when it means threatening a life sentence for a forged check worth less than $100. 434 U. S., at 363–365.

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