Opinion ID: 1723581
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Scope of Review and General Principles

Text: Because Cook raises an ineffective-assistance-of-counsel challenge under the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, our scope of review is de novo. State v. Yaw, 398 N.W.2d 803, 805 (Iowa 1987). To establish ineffective assistance of counsel, Cook must prove, by a preponderance of the evidence, both that his trial counsel failed to perform an essential duty and that prejudice resulted from the failure. State v. Terry, 544 N.W.2d 449, 453 (Iowa 1996). To sustain his burden of proof on the first prong, Cook must overcome the strong presumption that his counsel's actions were reasonable under the circumstances and fell within the normal range of professional competency. State v. Hildebrant, 405 N.W.2d 839, 841 (Iowa 1987). [R]easonableness under prevailing professional norms is the standard by which counsel's performance is measured. Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 688, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 2065, 80 L.Ed.2d 674, 694 (1984). Effective assistance of counsel `means conscientious, meaningful representation.' State v. Hepperle, 530 N.W.2d 735, 739 (Iowa 1995) (quoting State v. Aldape, 307 N.W.2d 32, 41-42 (Iowa 1981)). In order to establish prejudice, Cook must show that counsel's error worked to his actual and substantial disadvantage, creating a reasonable probability that but for the error the trial's result would have been different. State v. Ray, 516 N.W.2d 863, 865 (Iowa 1994). We may dispose of an ineffective-assistance-of-counsel claim if Cook fails to meet either the breach of duty or the prejudice prong. See Strickland, 466 U.S. at 697, 104 S.Ct. at 2069, 80 L.Ed.2d at 699; Hepperle, 530 N.W.2d at 739.