Opinion ID: 883450
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Did the District Court deny Craig his right to represent himself by permitting standby counsel to become involved in the defense?

Text: Craig alleges that by allowing McGee to participate in the trial as standby counsel, the District Court destroyed the jury's perception that the defendant is representing himself. McKaskle v. Wiggins (1984), 465 U.S. 168, 177, 104 S.Ct. 944, 951, 79 L.Ed.2d 122. This claim fails because we have held that Craig did not unequivocally assert his right to represent himself. Throughout the trial, neither the court, the prosecutor, McGee himself, nor Craig ever referred to McGee as standby counsel. Instead he was referred to by the court and the prosecutor as Craig's attorney. McGee performed an extensive voir dire resulting in one juror excusing herself because she was not sure she could be fair to Craig. Even after voir dire and the State's opening statement, when Craig stated McGee was not his attorney as far as he was concerned, the court continued to view McGee as the attorney available for Craig's defense. The option of proceeding pro se was left open to Craig throughout the trial. However, Craig did not seek permission to proceed pro se. Thus, the jury did not have the perception that Craig was representing himself. After the State's opening statement, McGee's participation in the trial was very limited due to Craig's non-cooperation. This may have left the jury confused as to why Craig would choose to block his attorney's assistance, but at no point were the jurors led to believe by the court, Craig, McGee, or the State that Craig was proceeding pro se. Outside the presence of the jury, Judge Sullivan, the prosecutor, and McGee, with Craig present, settled the jury instructions. Throughout this procedure Craig did not participate nor did he object to McGee's participation. Judge Sullivan continually consulted with McGee but acknowledged that McGee's participation was limited by Craig's wishes. Judge Sullivan stated: He's calling the shots. This did not signify that Craig was proceeding pro se, but that, as for all clients, Craig determined his own defense. Craig did not assert his right to proceed pro se and he did not object to McGee's limited participation in the trial. Furthermore, Craig does not suggest that McGee's participation in any way conflicted with his actual control over the case he chooses to present to the jury. McKaskle, 465 U.S. at 178, 104 S.Ct. at 951. Since the jury was never given the impression that Craig was proceeding pro se, it cannot be said that McGee's participation destroyed the jury's perception that the defendant is representing himself. McKaskle, 465 U.S. at 177, 104 S.Ct. at 950. Accordingly, we hold that the District Court did not deny Craig's right to represent himself. In sum, our holding in this case is narrowly tailored to the unique situation Craig presents. By not cooperating with his court-appointed attorney and not proceeding pro se, Craig attempted to manipulate the court into appointing new counsel. However, as the District Court found, McGee did provide effective assistance of counsel. It was only Craig's noncooperation that compromised McGee's representation. Although Craig's tactics resulted in a self-defeating and unwise defense, we cannot countenance manipulation of the Sixth Amendment in order to sabotage the criminal justice system.