Opinion ID: 889455
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: standard of review

Text: ¶ 8 We review a district court's denial of a petition for postconviction relief to determine whether the court's findings of fact are clearly erroneous and whether its conclusions of law are correct. Whitlow v. State, 2008 MT 140, ¶ 9, 343 Mont. 90, 183 P.3d 861. We review claims for ineffective assistance of counsel, which present mixed questions of fact and law, de novo. Whitlow, ¶ 9. We exercise plenary review of constitutional questions, including alleged violations of a criminal defendant's right to be present at critical stages of the trial. State v. Berosik, 2009 MT 260, ¶ 27, 352 Mont. 16, 214 P.3d 776.