Opinion ID: 1150202
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: right of the witness to counsel

Text: Attorney for the Council urges upon us the proposition that because the proceedings are non-criminal, a judge under investigation who is compelled to attend in obedience to a subpoena should not be afforded his Sixth Amendment right to have an attorney present. While the Council has cited cases from other jurisdictions tending to support their position, we feel that fundamental fairness and fair play dictate that Judge Anonymous be permitted to appear as a witness with counsel. We believe that the function of the Council on Judicial Complaints is analogous in function to that of a grand jury in this State. 22 O.S.Supp. 1974, § 340 provides that a witness under examination by a grand jury may have one attorney representing such witness present during the grand jury proceedings. Because the Council is an investigating body, much like the grand jury, we hold that a judge being investigated by the Council, who is subpoenaed to testify as a witness before the Council, may be accompanied by his attorney.