What constitutes a guilty plea in a criminal case?

California, United States of America


The following excerpt is from People v. Chavez, E063175 (Cal. App. 2015):

Moreover, defendant's claim - essentially, that there was insufficient evidence to support his conviction - has been waived. "[A] guilty plea constitutes an admission of every element of the offense charged and constitutes a conclusive admission of guilt. [Citation.] It waives a trial and obviates the need for the prosecution to come forward with any evidence. [Citations.] A guilty plea thus concedes that the prosecution possesses legally admissible evidence sufficient to prove defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Accordingly, a plea of guilty waives any right to raise questions regarding the evidence, including its sufficiency or admissibility, and this is true whether or not the subsequent claim of evidentiary error is founded on constitutional violations. [Citation.] By pleading guilty a defendant '[waives] any right to question how evidence had been obtained just as fully and effectively as he [waives] any right to have his conviction reviewed on the merits.' [Citation.]" (People v. Turner (1985) 171 Cal.App.3d 116, 125-126, italics added, fn. omitted.) Defendant entered a plea agreement, under which he pled no contest to a charge of grand theft and agreed to a

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