Opinion ID: 4564600
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: standard of review

Text: [1,2] A claim that defense counsel provided ineffective assistance presents a mixed question of law and fact. State v. Huston, 302 Neb. 202, 922 N.W.2d 723 (2019). When reviewing a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, an appellate court reviews the factual findings of the lower court for clear error. Id. With regard to questions of counsel’s performance or prejudice to the defendant as part of the two-pronged test articulated in Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S. Ct. 2052, 80 L. Ed. 2d 674 (1984), an appellate court reviews such legal determinations independently of the lower court’s conclusion. Huston, supra. [3] In an evidentiary hearing on a motion for postconviction relief, the trial judge, as the trier of fact, resolves conflicts in the evidence and questions of fact. Id. An appellate court upholds the trial court’s factual findings unless they are clearly erroneous. Id.