Commonwealth ex rel. Goodfellow v. Rundle

Opinion by

Mr. Justice Roberts,

Thomas Goodfellow, without counsel, was sentenced in 1959 to imprisonment for prison breach and larceny. The sentences followed pleas of guilty to both charges. In 1963, Goodfellow sought a writ of habeas corpus alleging that absence of counsel at the 1959 guilty pleas and sentencings deprived him of his liberty without due process of law. The court of common pleas denied the writ after argument, but without a hearing.1 The denial was appealed to the Superior Court. That Court, believing the issues Avere of “vital importance to the Commonwealth,” certified the…