{"id":352237,"date":"2023-09-12T09:23:12","date_gmt":"2023-09-12T14:23:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/criminal\/criminal-procedure\/appealing-a-conviction-after-pleading-guilty.html"},"modified":"2023-09-12T09:23:12","modified_gmt":"2023-09-12T14:23:12","slug":"appealing-a-conviction-after-pleading-guilty","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/criminal\/criminal-procedure\/appealing-a-conviction-after-pleading-guilty.html","title":{"rendered":"Appealing a Conviction After Pleading Guilty"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 fl-sectionWithSidebar fl-container fl-flex fl-flex-wrap fl-gap30\">\n    \n    <div class=\"fl-page-articles fl-section-main fl-section-main-full-width\">\n        <h1 class=\"fl-no-margin-top\">Appealing a Conviction After Pleading Guilty<\/h1>\n<section class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline\">\n    <div class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-content\">\n                    By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team\/sarah-williams-j-d\/\">Sarah Williams, J.D.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by <a\n                href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team\/melissa-bender-esq\/\">Melissa Bender, Esq.<\/a>\n                | Last updated\n        <time>\n                            September 12, 2023\n                    <\/time>\n    <\/div>\n\n    \n    <details class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle fl-gutenberg-byline-legally-reviewed\">\n        <summary>\n            <i class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\n            Legally Reviewed\n        <\/summary>\n\n        <div class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle-content\">\n            <p><em>This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team.html\">FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/company-history\/editorial-policy.html\">our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/details>\n\n    <details class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle fl-gutenberg-byline-fast-checked\">\n        <summary>\n            <i class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\n            Fact-Checked\n        <\/summary>\n\n        <div class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle-content\">\n            <p><em>The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team\/contributing-authors.html\">contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please <a href=\"https:\/\/lawyers.findlaw.com\/?fli=bylinelink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/details>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"fl-key-takeaways fl-mb30\" data-testid=\"fl-key-takeaways\">\n    <div class=\"fl-card-content\">\n        <div class=\"fl-card-body fl-card-bg-teal fl-flex fl-flex-column\">\n                            <h2 class=\"fl-card-title fl-h2 fl-no-margin\">Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n                        <p>Pleading guilty to a crime is usually a done deal. You often&nbsp;can&#8217;t take it back. Yet, some problems, such as rights violations or police intimidation, may justify reversing your plea.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Constitution guarantees criminal defendants the right to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/dictionary.findlaw.com\/definition\/due-process.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">due process<\/a>&nbsp;and a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/criminal\/criminal-rights\/right-to-a-speedy-jury-trial.html\">speedy jury trial<\/a>. If you enter a plea agreement, you must tell the judge in open court, while&nbsp;under oath,&nbsp;that you want to give up these rights and plead&nbsp;guilty.&nbsp;Neither the&nbsp;judge nor a jury will&nbsp;decide the factual issues and legal questions. All that&#8217;s left now is receiving your sentence.<\/p>\r\n<p>But after pleading guilty, you might wonder whether that was the right move.&nbsp;What do you do now?<\/p>\r\n<p>It&#8217;s essential to always understand your trial rights, the consequences of a criminal conviction, and the maximum time behind bars you are facing. Never let anyone pressure you into&nbsp;pleading guilty in a criminal case, and always seek the advice of an <a href=\"https:\/\/lawyers.findlaw.com\/criminal-law\/?fli=dcta\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">experienced lawyer<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<p>Below is a brief explanation of the feasibility of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/criminal\/criminal-procedure\/the-basis-for-a-criminal-appeal.html\">appealing a conviction<\/a>&nbsp;after entering a guilty plea,&nbsp;and the standard for withdrawing your plea.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Plea Withdrawal:&nbsp;Good Cause&nbsp;Required<\/h2>\r\n<p>It&#8217;s important to note that &quot;buyer&#8217;s remorse&quot; is not a good reason to withdraw a guilty plea. You can&#8217;t simply change your mind later. It&#8217;s a harsh reality that requires serious consideration.<\/p>\r\n<p>Before you enter a plea, the trial judge will ask whether you understand the constitutional rights you are about to waive. You will&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/dictionary.findlaw.com\/definition\/attest.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">attest<\/a>&nbsp;that your plea is a voluntary, knowing, intelligent trial waiver consistent with state criminal procedures or&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/rules\/frcrmp\/rule_11\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rule 11<\/a>&nbsp;of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.<\/p>\r\n<p>But let&#8217;s say you realize there is a problem after submitting a guilty plea, such as:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>The prosecutor didn&#8217;t seem trustworthy, and you think they&#8217;re bluffing about the evidence.<\/li>\r\n<li>You think the police officer is lying.<\/li>\r\n<li>The trial court judge may have done something wrong when taking your plea.&nbsp;<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>These issues are good reasons to revisit your case with your lawyer. In the post-conviction phase, filing a written motion is the first step to walking back your guilty or no-contest plea.<\/p>\r\n<h3>Describing Your Good Cause Claim&nbsp;<\/h3>\r\n<p>A motion to withdraw your&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/dictionary.findlaw.com\/definition\/guilty-plea.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">guilty plea<\/a>&nbsp;must include good cause and explain why the judge should allow you to change your mind.<\/p>\r\n<p>Below are elements that should be included for your&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/dictionary.findlaw.com\/definition\/good-cause.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">good cause<\/a>&nbsp;claim:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>You should provide factual basis for the plea. This is a defendant&#8217;s knowing admission of guilt to all elements of the criminal charges.<\/li>\r\n<li>You should confirm that you,&nbsp;the defendant,&nbsp;understood the charges against you&nbsp;and other collateral consequences.&nbsp;This may also include potential sentencing ranges and enhancements.&nbsp;<\/li>\r\n<li>You should establish whether or not you were&nbsp;informed of your&nbsp;Constitutional rights, including the&nbsp;right to an impartial jury trial, right to counsel, right to confront and cross-examine witnesses, and so on.<\/li>\r\n<li>You should confirm or deny that your plea as&nbsp;defendant&nbsp;was voluntary. This includes whether the plea entered was by the defendant&#8217;s free will or whether threats or false promises induced it. False promises differ from a valid <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/criminal\/criminal-procedure\/can-you-appeal-a-plea-bargain.html\">plea bargain<\/a>.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2>Filing a Motion With the Court<\/h2>\r\n<p>If you believe you meet the above test, file your motion with the district court clerk. Remember, many state laws allow a defendant to withdraw the plea for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanbar.org\/groups\/criminal_justice\/publications\/criminal_justice_section_archive\/crimjust_standards_guiltypleas_blk\/#:~:text=Standard%2014%2D%202.1,on%20the%20defendant%27s%20plea.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">any fair and just reason<\/a>&nbsp;before sentencing.<\/p>\r\n<p>After sentencing, the criminal procedure timelines to file a motion tend to be very short, depending on whether you are in state or federal court. The deadline could be&nbsp;as little as ten days after a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/criminal\/criminal-procedure\/criminal-sentencing.html\">sentence<\/a>&nbsp;has been imposed to correct a manifest injustice.<\/p>\r\n<p>If you change your mind later, you can always withdraw the motion. When in doubt, it&#8217;s often better to file rather than get barred forever.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Petition of Habeas Corpus<\/h2>\r\n<p>A&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/criminal\/criminal-procedure\/writ-of-habeas-corpus.html\">writ of habeas corpus<\/a>&nbsp;may be your best option if you have missed the deadline to file or the judge denies your request to withdraw your plea. This is a petition claiming your imprisonment is unconstitutional. The writ of habeas corpus is often combined with ineffective assistance of counsel claims and filed in state or federal court.<\/p>\r\n<p>Habeas corpus is an additional avenue to challenge your imprisonment based on the following:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Wrongful convictions<\/li>\r\n<li>Illegal sentences<\/li>\r\n<li>Systematic errors<\/li>\r\n<li>New evidence<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>This is a last-ditch effort used after a direct appeal has failed. Every case is different. Consider consulting an appeals lawyer for legal advice.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Appealing a Conviction After a Guilty Plea<\/h2>\r\n<p>Defendants can file a direct&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/criminal\/criminal-procedure\/appeals-appellate-courts-and-costs.html\">criminal appeal<\/a>&nbsp;of their conviction or sentence with a higher court, such as the state or federal Court of Appeals or Supreme Court. If you are successful during the appeals process, the appellate court&#8217;s decision can:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Set aside the judgment and discharge the petitioner<\/li>\r\n<li>Require resentencing the petitioner after a sentencing hearing<\/li>\r\n<li>Grant a new trial or make other disposition as may be appropriate<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>Another avenue you can explore is filing a petition for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/corporate.findlaw.com\/litigation-disputes\/post-conviction-and-clemency-representation.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">post-conviction relief<\/a>. This type of petition must be filed after a direct appeal. Additionally, it may not be based on grounds that could have been raised on direct appeal of the conviction or sentence.<\/p>\r\n<p>For example, let&#8217;s say you pled guilty to hit and run but know you weren&#8217;t driving the car. You just wanted to put this all behind you. Suppose you later discover that there&#8217;s video evidence of the accident that shows the driver was actually your brother-in-law,&nbsp;who took your car without permission. In that instance, you can likely win your case.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Get Legal Help Appealing a Conviction After Pleading Guilty<\/h2>\r\n<p>Don&#8217;t despair if you&#8217;ve entered a guilty plea and now&nbsp;think it was the&nbsp;wrong&nbsp;choice&nbsp;to make. A seasoned appeals attorney can review options. The&nbsp;important thing to remember is that time is of the essence.<\/p>\r\n<p>A criminal defense lawyer can:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>File a timely notice of appeal<\/li>\r\n<li>Review your criminal law case for errors during the plea bargain phase<\/li>\r\n<li>Assess whether ineffective assistance of counsel could have changed the outcome<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>If you want to withdraw your plea, contact a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/lawyers.findlaw.com\/criminal-law\/?fli=dcta\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">criminal defense attorney<\/a>&nbsp;to discuss your case and learn about your options.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"was-this-helpful\">\n    <div\n            class=\"was-this-helpful__question-container\"\n            aria-labelledby=\"was-this-helpful__question\"\n            role=\"group\"\n    >\n        <span\n                id=\"was-this-helpful__question\"\n                class=\"was-this-helpful__question fl-text-lg-bold\"\n        >Was this helpful?<\/span>\n        <button\n     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