Matthew Jones v. Dave Yost, Attorney General of Ohio

The Sixth Amendment of the United States Constitution provides, in part, that ”[i]n all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right ... to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.” Ihe first question presented is : Should the Sixth Amendment right to counsel attach at the moment an accused is confronted by his expert adversary with a plea offer where the results of the confrontation might well settle his fate ? * * * This Court's historical caselaw provides that a guilty plea must be a knowing, voluntary and intelligent act done with sufficient awareness of the relevant circumstances and likely consequences surrounding the plea. Ihe Court's touchstone analysis as to whether a plea is knowing and voluntary turns on a defendant's understanding of the plea and its consequences. The second question presented is : Gould a defendant's objectively reasonable subjective (mis)understanding of the terms and consequences of a plea agreement ever form the basis of a Due Process issue concerning the voluntariness of the plea ?