Quote:
Originally Posted by retiredguy123
I watched the arraignment today on television. The entire thing seemed like a waste of time. When the judge asked the defendant and his lawyer how he wanted to plead, his lawyer said that her client wasn't going to say anything. Then, the judge entered a plea of "not guilty" into the court record. This may sound like a silly question, but could the judge have entered a plea of "guilty" instead of "not guilty"?
|
In some states, by standing silent, the defendant does not waive any possible objections to procedural irregularities up to that point. In Michigan it was the rule rather than the exception that the defendant would chose to stand mute.