Opinion ID: 885231
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Campaigns for Public Office

Text: ¶ 46 On March 16, 1988, Forsythe filed a Statement of Candidate, announcing his candidacy for district judge of the Sixteenth Judicial District. Forsythe's campaign advertisements noted that he was the Rosebud County attorney for 12 years with 80% convictions in over 3,000 cases and that he had authored the book, Death Sentence. Forsythe lost his bid for a district judge position in a primary election held on June 7, 1988. Petitioner's trial began on July 26, 1988. Forsythe filed a Statement of Candidate, announcing his candidacy for county attorney of Rosebud County on March 9, 1990. Petitioner's direct appeal was deemed submitted to this Court on March 13, 1990, and decided on May 21, 1990. Petitioner's petition for rehearing was denied on June 15, 1990. Forsythe won the election for county attorney of Rosebud County in November 1990. ¶ 47 We agree with the District Court that Petitioner failed to establish an actual conflict based on Forsythe's campaigns for public office. We have previously stated that in order to establish a violation of the right to assistance of counsel based on a conflict of interest, the defendant must establish the existence of an actual conflict, not just a possibility of a conflict, through a factual showing on the record. Wilson, ¶ 18, 989 P.2d 813. Other courts have addressed claims of conflict based on similar facts and have concluded that such claims fail to establish the existence of an actual conflict. For instance, in Garcia v. Bunnell (9th Cir.1994), 33 F.3d 1193, the Ninth Circuit held that defense counsel's plan to work for the district attorney's office at the end of petitioner's trial did not create an actual conflict of interest. The court concluded that the petitioner failed to establish that his counsel actively represented competing interests. Garcia, 33 F.3d at 1198. In so holding, the court stated, [W]e generally presume that the lawyer is fully conscious of the overarching duty of complete loyalty to his or her client. Garcia, 33 F.3d at 1198, 1199 (quoting Burger v. Kemp (1987), 483 U.S. 776, 784, 107 S.Ct. 3114, 3120, 97 L.Ed.2d 638). Similarly, in United States v. Horton (7th Cir.1988), 845 F.2d 1414, defense counsel in federal court was a finalist for appointment as the United States Attorney for that district at the same time as he counseled his client to accept a plea agreement. The Seventh Circuit held: We will not indulge in the presumption that a defense attorney who is being considered for a position as United States Attorney is unable to represent a defendant in federal court to the best of his ability and with the defendant's best interests in mind. Horton, 845 F.2d at 1419. ¶ 48 The fact that Forsythe was a candidate for district court judge and county attorney during his representation of Petitioner does not establish an actual conflict without further support in the record. We agree with the analysis of Horton and will not presume that a defense attorney who is campaigning for a position as a district judge or a county attorney is unable to represent a defendant to the best of his or her abilities and with the defendant's best interests in mind. [2] Furthermore, the record does not disclose that Forsythe actively represented competing interests. It is not entirely inconceivable that an unprincipled candidate for county attorney or district judge might attempt to curry political favor with the electorate by ensuring that an unpopular client does not escape conviction and then publicizing his or her role in obtaining that conviction. However, Petitioner has not presented us with any evidence that this occurred. A hypothetical conflict is insufficient; in order to succeed, a defendant must establish the existence of an actual conflict, not just the possibility of a conflict, through a factual showing on the record. Wilson, ¶ 18, 989 P.2d 813. As the District Court observed, there is absolutely no evidence that Forsythe's representation of Petitioner was an issue in either election. Forsythe's advertising of his success rate as the county attorney of Rosebud County during his campaigns did not raise the issue of his representation of Petitioner. ¶ 49 Although we conclude that Petitioner's claim of a conflict of interest based on Forsythe's campaigns for public office fails because he did not establish the existence of an actual conflict, we also note that Petitioner failed to establish any effect which resulted from this alleged conflict, let alone an adverse effect. Once an actual conflict is shown, the defendant need demonstrate only that some effect on counsel's handling of a particular aspect of the trial was likely. Wilson, ¶ 18, 989 P.2d 813. As the State observes, Forsythe's campaign activity during the period of his representation of Petitioner was insubstantial. Forsythe lost his bid for a position as a district judge prior to Petitioner's trial. The only actions undertaken by Forsythe with respect to his representation of Petitioner after filing for the county attorney of Rosebud County position were an oral argument on Petitioner's direct appeal and a petition for rehearing.