The following excerpt is from Woods v. Wong, CASE NO. 10CV693 JLS (WMc) (S.D. Cal. 2011):
Generally, "[o]ther than the fact of a prior conviction, any fact that increases the penalty for a crime beyond the prescribed statutory maximum must be submitted to a jury, and proved beyond a reasonable doubt." Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466, 490 (2000). A judge may impose the "statutory maximum" "solely on the basis of the facts reflected in the jury verdict or admitted by the defendant." Blakely, 542 U.S. at 303. When a defendant pleads guilty, moreover, the "State is free to seek judicial sentence enhancements so long as the defendant . . . stipulates to the relevant facts." Id. at 310.
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