United States v. Barker

I concur in the Court’s opinion that Barker, Martinez, Sturgis and Gonzalez have not presented this Court with any cognizable reason which could justify withdrawal of their guilty pleas.1 The Court in its decision does not reach the defendants’ contention that a reasonable belief in official authorization of their venture — an allegedly reasonable mistake of law — constitutes a legal defense *332to their convictions.2 Since this contention raises fundamental questions about the nature of criminal responsibility which are addressed by the dissents and which are of central importance to the…