JONATHAN TURLEY

In the endless saga of Sen. Craig, his attorneys are now prepared to file as early as this week for the withdrawal of his plea. Under Minnesota law, a defendant to withdraw a guilty plea if he shows that there is manifest injustice. This often depends on a showing tha the plea was not intelligently made. It is normally a very difficult standard to show since courts are loathe to allow second thoughts about pleas. The standard is supposed to exclude stupidity alone, which appears the category most relevant to Craig. Of course, if successful, Craig could be looking at more serious charges and a hostile court.