Opinion ID: 1158794
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the constitutional guarantee of the effective assistance of counsel.

Text: In our system of law one of the most fundamental rights guaranteed to an individual charged with crime is the right to have the assistance of counsel for his defense. The sixth amendment to the United States Constitution and article I, section 11 of the Hawaii Constitution expressly so provide. In addition, the Supreme Court has held this right to be an essential requirement of due process, thereby obligating the State to provide counsel for indigent defendants, at government expense if necessary. Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335, 83 S.Ct. 792, 9 L.Ed.2d 799 (1963). [3] Furthermore, the guarantee of assistance of counsel will not be satisfied by the mere formal appointment of an attorney. As the Supreme Court stated in Powell v. Alabama, 287 U.S. 45, 71, 53 S.Ct. 55, 77 L.Ed. 158 (1932), the trial court's duty to appoint counsel is not discharged by an assignment at such time or under such circumstances as to preclude the giving of effective aid in the preparation and trial of the case. Thus the representation afforded a defendant must be one of substance not form. The right to the assistance of counsel must not be an illusory guarantee.