Scarver v. State

I respectfully dissent from the Court’s decision to deny the petition for a writ of certiorari in this case. In 2009, Curtis Earl Scarver pleaded guilty to trafficking in cocaine, a Class A felony. At the time of his plea, Scarver had three prior felony convictions. Two of those prior convictions, dating to 1982, were for first-degree robbery, a Class A felony. The trial court had no choice but to impose a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. § 13A-5-9(c)(4), Ala.Code 1975. At the plea hearing, the following colloquy occurred:

“THE COURT: You’d be looking at a…