People v. Clarke

OPINION OF THE COURT

Memorandum.

The order of the Appellate Division should be affirmed.

Defendant was convicted on a plea of guilty, the Appellate Division affirmed, and a Judge of this Court granted leave to appeal. The issue is whether defendant’s claim, challenging the validity of the guilty plea, must be preserved before the trial court. Defendant argues that an ambiguous comment by the trial court, at the tail-end of the guilty plea proceeding and colloquy, rises to the level of a “mode of proceedings” concern. If so, he further urges, it was not necessary to preserve this challenge in the…