Boykin v. Alabama (1968)
- Docket
- 642
- Decided
- 1968-01-01
- Category
- General
Summary
Question: Did the trial court commit a reversible error when it failed to confirm that the petitioner’s plea was voluntary and that he was aware of his rights? Conclusion: Yes. Justice William O. Douglas delivered the opinion of the 6-2 majority. The Court held that a guilty plea is a confession, and the admissibility of a confession is contingent on the confirmation that it was made voluntarily. The waiver of several constitutional rights is involved in a guilty plea. A defendant’s silence is insufficient to show that he understood these rights and chose to waive them. Justice John M. Harlan wrote a dissenting opinion where he argued that the Court wrongly and inconsistently followed a precedent that subjects state courts to a federal rule of evidence concerning guilty pleas; and that this rule has no basis in the Constitution. He also argued that the question was irrelevant, because the petitioner never claimed that his plea was made unknowingly or involuntarily. Justice Hugo L. Black joined in the dissent.