Padilla v. Commonwealth of Kentucky - Post-Decision SCOTUScast
SCOTUScast 07-23-10 featuring Margaret Stock
On March 31, 2010, the Supreme Court announced its decision in Padilla v. Commonwealth of Kentucky. The question in this case was whether Padilla’s counsel had an obligation under the Sixth Amendment (as applied to the States by the Fourteenth Amendment) to advise him of the immigration consequences of pleading guilty to a particular crime, namely, that doing so would result in his removal from the United States. In an opinion delivered by Justice Stevens, the Court held that the Sixth Amendment did require Padilla's lawyer to tell Padilla that his conviction for drug distribution made him subject to automatic deportation.
To discuss the case, we have United States Military Academy at West Point Department of Social Sciences Professor Margaret D. Stock.
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