Ward, Comr. v. Medina

Summary

The Supreme Court of Georgia affirmed the grant of habeas relief because Medina’s guilty plea was involuntary under the totality of the circumstances. The court held that the trial court’s indication that Medina would probably receive a harsher sentence after trial, combined with repeated misrepresentations overstating his sentencing exposure by 100 years, supported the habeas court’s finding that those circumstances induced the plea. The court did not address the habeas court’s ineffective-assistance rulings.