UNITED STATES, PETITIONER v. ANGELA RUIZ, 536 U.S. 622

Summary

Respondent contended that without disclosure of potential impeachment evidence her guilty plea under the proposed plea agreement would not be knowing and intelligent. The Government argued that providing such information to respondent would result in the premature disclosure of its case, which was not constitutionally required. The United States Supreme Court held that the United States Constitution did not require the Government to disclose material impeachment evidence prior to entering a plea agreement with respondent. The Government was not required to disclose its potential case, and thus the value of the evidence impeaching the Government's case was unknown. Further, respondent's guilty plea under the plea agreement, with its accompanying waiver of constitutional rights, could have been accepted as knowing and voluntary despite any misapprehension by respondent concerning the specific extent or nature of the impeachment evidence. Finally, requiring disclosure of the evidence ...