Opinion ID: 773609
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Petitioner's Right to Counsel of Choice

Text: 17 The Sixth Amendment commands that [i]n all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right... to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence. U.S. Const. amend. VI. This right to counsel applies to the States through the Fourteenth Amendment. Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335, 342 (1963). The Supreme Court has acknowledged that this right to counsel includes a criminal defendant's qualified right to be represented by the counsel of his choice. Wheat v. United States, 486 U.S. 153, 159 (1988). This qualified right may be overcome when it is outweighed by competing interests in the fair administration of justice or maintaining orderly trial procedures. Id. (defendant may not insist on counsel who is not admitted or has an actual or serious potential conflict of interest); Morris v. Slappy, 461 U.S. 1, 8-9, 12-13 (1983) (unreasonable delay is a valid basis to override defendant's choice of counsel). Although qualified, this right to counsel of choice may not be denied arbitrarily. Id. at 11-12. 18 The qualified right to counsel of choice emerges out of a defendant's broader right to control the presentation of his defense. Herring v. New York, 422 U.S. 853, 857 (1975) (the right to the assistance of counsel has been understood to mean that there can be no restrictions upon the function of counsel in defending a criminal prosecution in accord with the traditions of the adversary factfinding process). Inherent in a defendant's right to control the presentation of his defense is the right to choose the counsel who presents it. Caplin & Drysdale, Chartered v. United States, 491 U.S. 617, 624 (1989) (acknowledging defendant's right `to select and be represented by one's preferred attorney') (quoting Wheat, 486 U.S. at 159); Faretta v. California, 422 U.S. 806, 819 (1975) (holding defendant has right to represent himself at trial). The Supreme Court has found constitutional error when trial courts have arbitrarily interfere[d]... with the ability of counsel to make independent decisions about how to conduct the defense. Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 686 (1984) (citing Geders v. United States, 425 U.S. 80 (1976) (bar on attorney-client consultation during overnight recess); Herring, 422 U.S. at 853 (bar on summation at bench trial); Brooks v. Tennessee, 406 U.S. 605, 612-613 (1972) (requirement that defendant be first defense witness); Ferguson v. Georgia, 365 U.S. 570, 593-596 (1961) (bar on direct examination of defendant)).