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Defense urges Washington Supreme Court to allow Christopher Olson to withdraw pleas tied to State v. Blake
Summary
At a June 27 argument, defense counsel asked the Washington Supreme Court to reverse and remand so Christopher Olson can withdraw guilty pleas that included a conviction the court later found unconstitutional in State v. Blake; the state urged finality and argued voluntariness is judged at the time of a plea.
The Washington Supreme Court heard argument June 27 in State of Washington v. Christopher Lee Olson over whether Olson may withdraw guilty pleas that included an unlawful-possession conviction later held unconstitutional in State v. Blake.
Jody Backlund, defense counsel for Christopher Olson, asked the court to “reverse the trial court’s order and remand Christopher Olson’s cases so that he can withdraw his pleas,” arguing Olson entered two indivisible global bargains and that each package contained an unconstitutional Blake-affected offense.
Backlund told the court that Blake is retroactive and therefore a “significant and material change in the law” that can render prior pleas not knowing, intelligent, and voluntary. She argued the…
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