Opinion ID: 2305708
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Assertion(s) of the Right to a Speedy Trial

Text: Often the strength and timeliness of a defendant's assertion of his speedy trial right indicate whether the delay has been lengthy and whether the defendant begins to experience prejudice from that delay. See Barker, 407 U.S. at 531-32, 92 S.Ct. at 2192-93, 33 L.Ed.2d at 117-18; Bailey, 319 Md. at 409, 572 A.2d at 552. The petitioner in the case sub judice twice asserted his right to a speedy trial. He first demanded a speedy trial in March of 1999, only two months after his indictment. [10] Then, one year later on April 19, 2000, the petitioner moved to dismiss his case for violation of his speedy trial right. The petitioner, without question, satisfies this factor. The Court of Special Appeals relied largely upon the circumstances surrounding the third postponement to support its conclusion that the petitioner failed to aggressively assert his speedy trial right. Because the petitioner failed, according to the Court of Special Appeals, to adequately assert the right, the cause of the delay was deemed more attributable to the petitioner rather than the State. While we agree that, upon learning that the third postponement resulted in a six-month delay (January 13, 1999 to July 19, 1999), the petitioner could have, and probably should have, immediately asserted his right to a speedy trial, we must disagree with the excessive weight the Court of Special Appeals places on this facet of the case. The vigorousness and timeliness of the assertion of the speedy trial right is a consideration. It cannot be deemed, however, in and of itself, the cause for the delay; nor can it be the determining factor in whether a constitutional violation occurred. This marks our departure from the decision of the intermediate appellate court, and in fact, is the basis upon which we opine today.