An Alford plea allows a defendant to plead guilty while maintaining their innocence. Some states do not allow Alford pleas and require a defendant to plead not guilty if they are asserting that they are innocent. Other states allow Alford pleas in the context of no contest pleas but not guilty pleas.
A defendant may plead guilty, not guilty, or, with the consent of the court, nolo contendere. If the defendant refuses to plead, or if a defendant corporation fails to appear, the court must enter a plea of not guilty. Fed. R.
A Nolo Contendere plea is rare in federal criminal cases. In a Nolo Contendere plea, the defendant does not admit his factual guilt, but accepts the punishment on the premise that the government's evidence is strong enough for a conviction.
Alford plea: An Alford plea may be used when the defendant wants the advantage of the plea bargain but cannot or will not admit guilt. The defendant pleads guilty to avoid the potential consequences of going to trial.
A standby plea is another less common type of plea that involves a defendant entering a guilty or no contest plea while maintaining the right to appeal specific legal issues.
A person may go before the judge and say, “I have reached an agreement with the other side and I will plead guilty.” The judge then says “I take your guilty plea, and I will hold it in abeyance (or “put it on the shelf”) and if you do what you agreed to do, then at the end of your Plea of Abeyance agreement, I will ...
Before accepting a plea of nolo contendere, the court must consider the parties' views and the public interest in the effective administration of justice. (4) Failure to Enter a Plea. If a defendant refuses to enter a plea or if a defendant organization fails to appear, the court must enter a plea of not guilty.
The court shall grant summary judgment if the moving party shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. The court should state on the record the reasons for granting or denying the motion.
A default judgment must not differ in kind from, or exceed in amount, what is demanded in the pleadings. Every other judgment should grant the relief to which each party is entitled, even if the party has not demanded that relief in its pleadings.
The prevailing party or a party directed by the court must prepare and serve on the other parties a proposed judgment for review and approval as to form. The proposed judgment shall be served within 14 days after the jury verdict or after the court's decision.