Connection lost
Server error
Bordenkircher v. Hayes Case Brief
Why Top Law Students (And Those Aspiring to Be) Use LSD+ Briefs
Let's be real, law school is a marathon. Our exclusive Flash-to-Full case system is designed by Harvard Law School and MIT grads to match your pace: Quick summaries when you're slammed, detailed analysis when you need to go deep. Only LSD+ offers this kind of flexibility to genuinely fit your study flow.
Adaptive Case Views
Toggle between Flash, Standard, and Expanded. Get what you need, when you need it.
Exam-Ready IRAC Format
We deliver the precise structure professors look for in exam answers.
Complex Cases, Clarified
We break down dense legal reasoning into something digestible, helping you grasp core concepts.
Case Brief Summary & Legal Analysis
tl;dr: A prosecutor threatened to add a serious habitual offender charge if the defendant rejected a plea deal. The defendant refused, was re-indicted, and received a life sentence. The Supreme Court held this common plea-bargaining tactic did not violate due process.
Legal Significance: This case legitimizes the use of charging threats as leverage in plea bargaining, distinguishing the “give-and-take” of negotiations from unconstitutional prosecutorial vindictiveness that occurs after a defendant exercises a procedural right like an appeal.
Bordenkircher v. Hayes Law School Study Guide
Use this case brief structure for your own legal analysis. Focus on the IRAC methodology to excel in law school exams and cold calls.
Case Facts & Court Holding
Key Facts & Case Background
Paul Hayes was indicted for forging a check for $88.30, an offense carrying a 2-to-10-year sentence. During plea negotiations, the prosecutor offered to recommend a five-year sentence if Hayes pleaded guilty. The prosecutor explicitly warned that if Hayes refused the offer and insisted on his right to a trial, the prosecutor would return to the grand jury to seek an indictment under the Kentucky Habitual Criminal Act. Due to Hayes’s two prior felony convictions, this would result in a mandatory life sentence upon conviction. Hayes rejected the plea offer. The prosecutor followed through on the threat, securing the new indictment. A jury convicted Hayes on the original forgery charge and found him to be a habitual offender, resulting in the mandatory life sentence. It was undisputed that the prosecutor had probable cause for the habitual offender charge from the outset and that the decision to seek the indictment was triggered solely by Hayes’s refusal to plead guilty.
Court Holding & Legal Precedent
Issue: Does the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment prohibit a prosecutor from carrying out a threat made during plea negotiations to reindict a defendant on more serious, but legally justified, charges for refusing to plead guilty to the original offense?
No. The prosecutor’s conduct did not violate the Due Process Clause. The Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat
IRAC Legal Analysis
Complete IRAC Analysis for Higher Grades
IRAC (Issue, Rule, Analysis, Conclusion) is the exact format professors want to see in your exam answers. Our exclusive Flash-to-Full briefs combine holding, analysis, and rule statements formatted to match what A+ students produce in exams. These structured briefs help reinforce the essential legal reasoning patterns expected in law school.
Legal Issue
Does the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment prohibit a prosecutor from carrying out a threat made during plea negotiations to reindict a defendant on more serious, but legally justified, charges for refusing to plead guilty to the original offense?
Conclusion
This landmark decision solidifies the broad discretion prosecutors wield in plea bargaining, Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim ven
Legal Rule
In the context of plea bargaining, there is no due process violation Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in
Legal Analysis
The Supreme Court distinguished this case from precedents like *North Carolina v. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ip
Flash-to-Full Case Opinions
Flash Summary
- A prosecutor does not violate the Due Process Clause by threatening