Opinion ID: 1520503
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 27

Heading: the determination

Text: The post-conviction judge summed up on this issue: In no way can it be said that Petitioner was denied the proper functioning of the adversarial process. Just the opposite  a full reading of the trial record here discloses that petitioner was the beneficiary of a fully dedicated effort by two superbly skilled trial attorneys raising on his behalf numerous difficult issues for adjudication and preservation on appeal. The State, itself represented by outstandingly skilled prosecutors, found its case continually tested by equally adept adversaries. In cross-examination alone there are frequent examples of hard hitting text book type interrogations using known facts skillfully to test a witness' knowledge, reliability, bias and truthfulness. There was no failure of the adversarial process here. This was a full scale battle joined. The trial judge, showing great skill and patience, was repeatedly met with novel and complex, not to mention difficult, issues. The extent of the battle joined and the commitment of Petitioner's counsel is exemplified by the fact that petitioner's counsel politely but firmly informed the trial judge and the state that they would incur possible contempt proceedings rather than participate in a trial if the petitioner was to be chained in leg irons in the courtroom.       Appellate counsel read every word of the trial transcript, met with Petitioner for consultations and prepared and filed an extensive brief. The appeal was handled skillfully and completely. One further comment with respect to the claim of ineffective assistance of counsel. One may ask how the judge, the prosecutors and the defense counsel failed to catch the matter of Audrey Neeley's grand jury testimony and the separate matter of allocution by the Petitioner. The answer lies not in a conclusion that there was no battle of effective adversaries. Rather, the answer is probably to be found in the broad sweep of the battle over many fronts during a period of time sufficient to tax and expend the energies of the participants, all of whom were dedicated to giving their best. The record so reflects. We bear in mind that in Strickland the Court said that the ultimate focus of inquiry must be on the fundamental fairness of the proceeding whose result is being challenged. 466 U.S. at 696, 104 S.Ct. at 2069, 80 L.Ed.2d at 699. Bearing this in mind and the fact that the Court indicated in Strickland, as we have already said, that the effectiveness of counsel must be viewed as of the time of counsel's conduct, 466 U.S. at 690, 104 S.Ct. at 2066, 80 L.Ed.2d at 695, we find no ineffective assistance of counsel. In fact, it is our view that trial counsel and appellate counsel rendered most effective assistance. The numbers of claims they raised on behalf of their client is indicative of the fact that they were fighting at every turn to protect him to the best of their professional ability.