Court Opinion

ID: 9736239
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 18:48:19.19534+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:24:33.964747
License: Public Domain

McEWEN, Judge,
dissenting:
The depth of my respect for the view of the majority is exceeded only by my concern over the disparity between the language and intent of the opinion in Commonwealth v. Bossick, 305 Pa.Super. 196, 451 A.2d 489 (1982), and the conclusions concerning Bossick reached by the majority. Whatever error Bossick may be said to represent, such error was not occasioned by an assumption “that self proclaimed ineffectiveness arises from overzealous advoca-cy____” First, the opinion in Bossick observed that self proclaimed ineffectiveness may be triggered by contrivance as well as by overzealous advocacy. Second, the partial sentence cited by the majority in support of its conclusion does not even arguably focus upon the nature of the advocacy; rather, the cited lines clearly refer solely to those claims of ineffectiveness that so lack merit that no counsel, however well retained or carefully appointed, could project as arguably valid. Third, both the uncited remainder of the sentence as well as the paragraph of which it is a part make clear that our initial inquiry and fundamental concentration must be upon the claimed ineffectiveness itself.
*320The Pennsylvania Supreme Court in Commonwealth v. Fox, 476 Pa. 475, 383 A.2d 199 (1978), expressed a quite pragmatic reservation concerning the zeal of counsel in projecting his or her own ineffectiveness. This Court in Bossick relied upon that same common sense to declare that some claims of ineffectiveness, whether presented by trial counsel who is affected by the Fox inhibition or by a new advocate of magnificent skills, are so groundless that no advocate, however zealous, could breath life into them. If an assumption is to be found in Bossick, it would be that the members of this Court have sufficient perception to recognize a clearly baseless claim and will so conclude only when able to do so without hesitation:
Just as appellate study of a record in some cases may permit only a conclusion that the error is overwhelming and thereby reversible, so appellate study in other cases may well only permit of a conclusion that the claim of error lacks merit under any circumstances.
Commonwealth v. Bossick, supra 305 Pa.Super. at 203, 451 A.2d at 492 (footnote omitted). See and compare Commonwealth v. Clemmons, 505 Pa. 356, 479 A.2d 955 (1984).
Moreover, regardless of the efficacy of Bossick, I remain convinced that neither reason nor holdings of our Supreme Court require that the instant case be remanded for the appointment of new counsel.
The Supreme Court observed in Commonwealth v. Silver, 499 Pa. 228, 452 A.2d 1328 (1982), that “[i]n general, when an appellant raising the ineffective assistance of trial counsel is represented on appeal by the same counsel, the case must be remanded for the appointment of new counsel not associated with trial counsel except where ineffective assistance is clear on the face of the record.” Id., 499 Pa. at 240, 452 A.2d at 1334 (emphasis supplied). The appellant in Silver had alleged ineffective assistance at trial on the part of his present counsel. The Court did not vacate the judgment of sentence and remand for the appointment of new counsel. Rather, the Court noted that the record did *321not evidence reversible error on its face and that, therefore, a consideration of the underlying merits of the claim was required “in order to evaluate the ineffectiveness claim.” Id., 499 Pa. at 241, 452 A.2d at 1334 (emphasis supplied). The Supreme Court proceeded to a consideration of the alleged ineffectiveness and concluded that as the allegation of prejudice was without merit, “trial counsel was not ineffective in failing to preserve it.” 1 Id., 499 Pa. at 242, 452 A.2d at 1335.
It is readily apparent to me that both of the alleged instances of ineffectiveness urged upon us by appellant are totally devoid of merit. Moreover, such patently meritless claims will not suddenly be transformed into claims entitling appellant to relief if argued on appeal by new counsel, no matter how brilliant or articulate the presentation.
Judicial economy would best be served by here and now reviewing and disposing of all of the ineffectiveness claims presently before this Court. The majority seems to suggest that by reviewing all the claims raised in the instant appeal, we would in some way be depriving appellant of an opportunity to have the entire trial record scrutinized by a new lawyer so as to enable new counsel to discover and develop additional claims of ineffectiveness. That suggestion finds reason seduced by scruple since it overlooks the fact that the vast majority of defendants who argue appeals before this Court have not had the entire records in their cases reviewed in order to unearth possible claims of ineffective assistance of trial counsel. Such claims, moreover, may be brought with great ease before this Court via any number of subsequent PCHA petitions. Thus, I fail to see how judicial economy will be served by refusing to review the two claims of ineffective assistance presented by appellant and holding them patently meritless.
ROWLEY and TAMILIA, JJ., join in this dissenting opinion.

. The dissent, authored by Justice Nix, joined by Justices Flaherty and Hutchinson, was not based upon the majority’s disposition of the appellant’s ineffectiveness claim.