The Judge refused my guilty plea

Q: I went to my sentencing on August 29th n the judge refused to take my guilty plea. What happens next? (Pittsburgh, PA)

A: You need to ask your attorney. He or she will know. A judge has the discretion to accept or reject a plea bargain. A judge normally rejects a plea bargain because it is too lenient (easy) on the defendant but can also reject because it is too harsh on the defendant (very seldom). My guess is the judge thought your plea deal was too lenient. Your options now are for your attorney to negotiate a different plea bargain, or, choose to go to trial and ask the judge to recuse himself and have the case transferred to another judge.

If you feel like this issue relates to you, or a problem that you are experiencing, please contact me so that we can discuss your situation.