§ 517 Plea of guilty may be withdrawn.

If someone pleads guilty to a crime, they are not always stuck with that plea. Before the judge issues a final judgment, the court has the power to let the person take back their guilty plea. Once that happens, the person can then enter a plea of not guilty instead.

This gives defendants a chance to change course if they decide they made a mistake or want to fight the charges instead. It is up to the judge to decide whether to allow this, and the request needs to happen before the case reaches a final judgment. Once judgment has been entered, this option is no longer available.