Opinion ID: 2216607
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Burden of proof and judicial review.

Text: Ordinarily a proceeding under the Uniform Postconviction Procedure Act (chapter 663A, The Code) is at law and our review is not de novo. Hines v. State, 288 N.W.2d 344, 345 (Iowa 1980). But where, as here, the postconviction petitioner asserts violations of constitutional safeguards, we make our own evaluation of the totality of circumstances. Lawson v. State, 280 N.W.2d 400, 401 (Iowa 1979). This is the equivalent of a de novo review. Kellogg v. State, 288 N.W.2d 561, 563 (Iowa 1980), and citations. The petitioner must shoulder the burden of proof to establish by a preponderance of evidence a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel. Kellogg, 288 N.W.2d at 563; State v. Hicks, 277 N.W.2d 889, 896 (Iowa 1979); State v. Veverka, 271 N.W.2d 744, 750 (Iowa 1978). The test is whether under all the circumstances counsel's performance was within the range of normal competency. Cleesen v. State, 258 N.W.2d 330, 332 (Iowa 1977). Such circumstances must include an affirmative factual basis demonstrating counsel's inadequacy of representation. Id. at 332. The required examination should proceed while resisting, in the light of hindsight, the temptation to Monday morning quarterback the lawyer in the arena. Nor should the inquiry degenerate into a postmortem, microscopic dissection of each desperate effort of counsel to save a terminal case. [E]ffective assistance of counsel does not mean successful. Rather, it denotes conscientious, meaningful legal representation wherein the accused is advised of his rights and honest, learned and able counsel is accorded reasonable opportunity to perform his assigned task. Improvident trial strategy, miscalculated tactics, mistake, carelessness or inexperience do not necessarily amount to ineffective counsel. Parsons v. Brewer, 202 N.W.2d 49, 54 (Iowa 1972). The right to effective assistance of counsel also applies to assistance of counsel on appeal. Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738, 87 S.Ct. 1396, 18 L.Ed.2d 493 (1967). The same standards applied to trial counsel competency should apply in measuring the competency of appellate counsel. See Cleesen, 258 N.W.2d at 332.