Commonwealth v. Pridham

Opinion of the Court by

Justice ABRAMSON.

The Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees criminal defendants the effective assistance of counsel. Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984). That constitutional guarantee extends to defendants who are contemplating guilty pleas. Hill v. Lockhart, 474 U.S. 52, 106 S.Ct. 366, 88 L.Ed.2d 203 (1985). In Padilla v. Kentucky, 559 U.S. 356, 130 S.Ct. 1473, 176 L.Ed.2d 284 (2010), the Supreme Court recently held that that guarantee is breached when defense counsel fails to advise his or her noncitizen…