Source: https://www.legalcrystal.com/case/104800/cuyler-vs-sullivan
Timestamp: 2019-04-25 14:25:11+00:00

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1. The Court of Appeals did not exceed the proper scope of review when it rejected the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's conclusion that the two lawyers had not undertaken multiple representation. The Pennsylvania court's conclusion was a mixed determination of law and fact not covered by 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d), which provides that a state court's determination after a hearing on the merits of a factual issue shall be presumed to be correct. Pp 446 U. S. 341 -342.
serious risk of injustice infects the trial itself. When the State obtains a conviction through such a trial, it is the State that unconstitutionally deprives the defendant of his liberty. Thus, there is no merit to petitioners' claim that failings of retained counsel cannot provide the basis for federal habeas corpus relief. Pp. 446 U. S. 342 -345.
3. Respondent is not entitled to federal habeas corpus relief upon showing that the state trial court failed to inquire into the potential for conflicts of interest and that his lawyers had a possible conflict of interests. Pp. 446 U. S. 345 -350.
(a) The Sixth Amendment requires a state trial court to investigate timely objections to multiple representation. But unless the state trial court knows or reasonably should know that a particular conflict exists, the court itself need not initiate an inquiry into the propriety of multiple representation. Under the circumstances of this case, the Sixth Amendment imposed upon the trial court no affirmative duty to inquire. Pp. 446 U. S. 345 -348.
(b) Unless the trial court fails to afford a defendant who objects to multiple representation an opportunity to show that potential conflicts impermissibly imperil his right to a fair trial, a reviewing court cannot presume that the possibility for conflict resulted in ineffective assistance of counsel. In such a case, a defendant must demonstrate that an actual conflict of interest adversely affected the adequacy of his representation. Pp. 446 U. S. 348 -350.
(c) The possibility of a conflict of interest is insufficient to impugn a criminal conviction. In order to establish a violation of the Sixth Amendment, a defendant must show that an actual conflict of interest adversely affected his lawyer's performance. P. 446 U. S. 350 .
POWELL, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which BURGER, C.J., STEWART, WHITE, BLACKMUN, REHNQUIST, and STEVENS, JJ., joined, in Part III of which BRENNAN, J., joined, and in Parts I, II, and III of which MARSHALL, J., joined. BRENNAN, J., filed an opinion concurring in part and concurring in the result, post, p. 446 U. S. 350 . MARSHALL, J., filed an opinion concurring in part and dissenting in part, post p. 446 U. S. 354 .
object to the multiple representation. Sullivan was the first defendant to come to trial. The evidence against him was entirely circumstantial, consisting primarily of McGrath's testimony. At the close of the Commonwealth's case, the defense rested without presenting any evidence. The jury found Sullivan guilty, and fixed his penalty at life imprisonment. Sullivan's post-trial motions failed, and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court affirmed his conviction by an equally divided vote. Commonwealth v. Sullivan, 446 Pa. 419, 286 A.2d 898 (1971). [ Footnote 2 ] Sullivan's codefendants, Carchidi and DiPasquale, were acquitted at separate trials.
"issues of fact" refers "to what are termed basic, primary, or historical facts: facts in the sense of a recital of external events and the credibility of their narrators. . . .'" 372 U.S. at 372 U. S. 309 , n. 6, quoting Brown v. Allen, 344 U. S. 443 , 344 U. S. 506 (1953) (opinion of Frankfurter, J.). Findings about the roles DiBona and Peruto played in the defenses of Sullivan and his codefendants are facts in this sense. But the holding that the lawyers who played those roles did not engage in multiple representation is a mixed determination of law and fact that requires the application of legal principles to the historical facts of this case. Cf. Brewer v. Williams, 430 U. S. 387 , 430 U. S. 403 -404 (1977); Neil v. Biggers, 409 U. S. 188 , 409 U. S. 193 , n. 3 (1972). That holding is open to review on collateral attack in a federal court.
writ of habeas corpus only upon a showing that the State participated in the denial of a fundamental right protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. The right to counsel guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment is a fundamental right. Argersinger v. Hamlin, 407 U. S. 25 , 407 U. S. 29 -33 (1972). In this case, Sullivan retained his own lawyers, but he now claims that a conflict of interest hampered their advocacy. He does not allege that state officials knew or should have known that his lawyers had a conflict of interest. Thus, we must decide whether the failure of retained counsel to provide adequate representation can render a trial so fundamentally unfair as to violate the Fourteenth Amendment.
Our decisions make clear that inadequate assistance does not satisfy the Sixth Amendment right to counsel made applicable to the States through the Fourteenth Amendment. A guilty plea is open to attack on the ground that counsel did not provide the defendant with "reasonably competent advice." McMann v. Richardson, 397 U. S. 759 , 397 U. S. 770 -771 (1970); see Tollett v. Henderson, 411 U. S. 258 , 411 U. S. 267 (1973). Furthermore, court procedures that restrict a lawyer's tactical decision to put the defendant on the stand unconstitutionally abridge the right to counsel. Brooks v. Tennessee, 406 U. S. 605 , 406 U. S. 612 -613 (1972) (requiring defendant to be first defense witness); Ferguson v. Georgia, 365 U. S. 570 , 365 U. S. 593 -596 (1961) (prohibiting direct examination of defendant). See also Geders v. United States, 425 U. S. 80 (1976); Herring v. New York, 422 U. S. 853 (1975). Thus, the Sixth Amendment does more than require the States to appoint counsel for indigent defendants. The right to counsel prevents the States from conducting trials at which persons who face incarceration must defend themselves without adequate legal assistance.
We come at last to Sullivan's claim that he was denied the effective assistance of counsel guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment because his lawyers had a conflict of interest. The claim raises two issues expressly reserved in Holloway v. Arkansas, 435 U.S. at 435 U. S. 483 -484. The first is whether a state trial judge must inquire into the propriety of multiple representation even though no party lodges an objection. The second is whether the mere possibility of a conflict of interest warrants the conclusion that the defendant was deprived of his right to counsel.
In Holloway, a single public defender represented three defendants at the same trial. The trial court refused to consider the appointment of separate counsel despite the defense lawyer's timely and repeated assertions that the interests of his clients conflicted. This Court recognized that a lawyer forced to represent codefendants whose interests conflict cannot provide the adequate legal assistance required by the Sixth Amendment. Id. at 435 U. S. 481 -482. Given the trial court's failure to respond to timely objections, however, the Court did not consider whether the alleged conflict actually existed. It simply held that the trial court's error unconstitutionally endangered the right to counsel. Id. at 435 U. S. 483 -487.
therefore, trial courts may assume either that multiple representation entails no conflict or that the lawyer and his clients knowingly accept such risk of conflict as may exist. [ Footnote 12 ] Indeed, as the Court noted in Holloway, supra at 435 U. S. 485 -486, trial courts necessarily rely in large measure upon the good faith and good judgment of defense counsel.
Holloway reaffirmed that multiple representation does not violate the Sixth Amendment unless it gives rise to a conflict of interest. See 435 U.S. at 435 U. S. 482 . Since a possible conflict inheres in almost every instance of multiple representation, a defendant who objects to multiple representation must have the opportunity to show that potential conflicts impermissibly imperil his right to a fair trial. But unless the trial court fails to afford such an opportunity, a reviewing court cannot presume that the possibility for conflict has resulted in ineffective assistance of counsel. Such a presumption would preclude multiple representation even in cases where " [a] common defense . . . gives strength against a common attack.'" Id. at 435 U. S. 482 -483, quoting Glasser v. United States, 315 U. S. 60 , 315 U. S. 92 (1942) (Frankfurter, J., dissenting).
Id. at 406 U. S. 256 , quoting Dukes v. Warden, 161 Conn.337, 344, 288 A.2d 58 62 (1971). Since Dukes did not identify an actual lapse in representation, we affirmed the denial of habeas corpus relief.
Petitioners must rely solely on the State Supreme Court's holding, because the state court that heard evidence on Sullivan's petition for collateral relief did not decide whether defense counsel had represented conflicting interests. See supra at 446 U. S. 339 . The State Supreme Court resolved that issue on the second direct appeal without the benefit of a trial court finding. Since we conclude that a determination of whether counsel undertook multiple representation is not a finding of fact, we need not decide whether the statements of an appellate court can be "determination[s] after a hearing on the merits of a factual issue" within the meaning of 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d). Compare Velleca v. Superintendent, 523 F.2d 1040, 1041-1042 (CA1 1975) (per curiam), with Hill v. Nelson, 466 F.2d 1346, 1348 (CA9 1972) (per curiam).
I agree with the Court, in Part III, ante at 446 U. S. 342 -345, that the alleged failure of retained counsel to render effective assistance involves state action, and thus provides the basis for a writ of habeas corpus. I cannot, however, join 446 U. S.
Glasser v. United States, 315 U. S. 60 , 315 U. S. 71 (1942).
Johnson v. Zerbst, 304 U. S. 458 , 304 U. S. 465 (1938). This principle is honored only if the accused has the active protection of the trial court in assuring that no potential for divergence in interests threatens the adequacy of counsel's representation.
Several Courts of Appeals have imposed some kind of duty of inquiry. See ante at 446 U. S. 346 , n. 10. One, the First Circuit, has suggested that at least the duty, as opposed to any specific form of inquiry, may be constitutionally mandated. United States v. Waldman, 579 F.2d 649, 653 (1978).
The facts of this case demonstrate that, contrary to the view of the Court, ante at 446 U. S. 347 , the provision of separate trials does not always reduce the potential for conflict. Here, in fact, "the potential for a divergence in [the codefendants'] interests," ibid., arose, in part, precisely because there were separate trials.
Our cases make clear that every defendant has a constitutional right to "the assistance of an attorney unhindered by a conflict of interests." Holloway v. Arkansas, 435 U. S. 475 , 435 U. S. 483 , n. 5 (1978).
Because it is the simultaneous representation of conflicting interests against which the Sixth Amendment protects a defendant, he need go no further than to show the existence of an actual conflict. [ Footnote 3/3 ] An actual conflict of interests negates the unimpaired loyalty a defendant is constitutionally entitled to expect and receive from his attorney.
435 U.S. at 435 U. S. 490 -491 (emphasis in original). Accordingly, in Holloway, we emphatically rejected the suggestion that a defendant must show prejudice in order to be entitled to relief. For the same reasons, it would usually be futile to attempt to determine how counsel's conduct would have been different if he had not been under conflicting duties.
In Glasser, the defendant's objection at trial to joint representation was that, as his lawyer put it, "Mr. Glasser feels that, if I would represent Mr. Kretske, the jury would get an idea that they are together. . . ." 315 U.S. at 315 U. S. 68 . Whether the attorney's performance was, in fact, affected by the joint representation is, of course, irrelevant to the merits of such a claim. While the Court did discuss the possibility that the lawyer's failure to cross-examine prosecution witnesses fully or to object to the admission of certain evidence was the result of the joint representation, the possibility that the jury would assume that "birds of a feather flock to the same lawyer," Greer, supra, n. 1, at 136, was the only objection raised at trial, and the Court plainly considered it sufficient to require the appointment of separate counsel for Kretske.

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