Bordenkircher v. Hayes

Bordenkircher v. Hayes (1978) is a significant U.S. Supreme Court case about plea bargaining in criminal justice. The Court ruled that it is constitutional for prosecutors to offer lesser charges during negotiations but also to threaten to pursue more severe charges if a defendant refuses to plead guilty. The key issue was whether this practice was coercive and violated the defendant's rights. The Court decided that as long as there’s no outright coercion, the prosecutor's actions are permissible, thus highlighting the complexities of plea bargaining and the balance between legal strategy and defendants' rights.