Episode Summary
Sometimes we see our legal system as black or white. Innocent or Guilty. But there is a technical grey area. Room for someone to plead guilty while still maintaining their innocence. And this is only possible because of a precedent set in the case against a man named Henry Alford more than half a century ago.
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Episode Info
The Fortsythe County Courthouse in North Carolina, taken in 1960.
North Carolina v. Alford, U.S. Supreme Court.
Episode Source Material
- Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute: Alford Plea.
- HG.org: Alford Plea – What Is It and Which States Use It?
- FindLaw.com: North Carolina v. Alford.
- Oyez: North Carolina v. Alford.
- Justia Law: North Carolina v. Alford 400 U.S. 25 (1970).
- New York Times: Deal Frees ‘West Memphis Three’ in Arkansas, by Campbell Robertson.
- Roberts Law Group: North Carolina criminal lawyer can help explain Alford pleas.
- Delaware Gazette: The Lasting Legacy of Henry Alford, by David Hejmanowski.
- LawCall Legal News: What Is An Alford Plea and How Does It Differ From A “No Contest” Plea?
- Justia Law: No Contest Pleas, Conditional Pleas and Alford Pleas.
- Greensboro News and Record: Longtime Winston-Salem Attorney Dies. Fred Crumpler Helped Develop the Alford Plea, by Michael Hewlett.
- Cornell Law School: North Carolina v. Henry C. Alford Cornell Law School.
- Thought Co.: What Is an Alford Plea, by Charles Montaldo.
- H.L. Pohlman: Constitutional Debate In Action
- Supreme Court Transcript