Court Opinion

ID: 9585856
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 23:04:29.19164+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:24:15.710469
License: Public Domain

Deen, Presiding Judge,
dissenting.
I must respectfully dissent.
The Supreme Court has declined to address a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel when it was not raised in the court below: “(a) *558when appellate counsel failed to file a motion for new trial, [Cit.]; (b) when appellate counsel filed a motion for new trial but failed to raise the ineffectiveness issue, [Cit.]; and (c) when appellate counsel was retained for the first time during the pendency of the appeal. [Cit.]” Smith v. State, 255 Ga. 654, 656 (341 SE2d 5) (1986). The court in Smith went on to note that in each instance “the trial court had not ruled on the issue, nor was there available any testimony from the lawyer who conducted the trial.” Id. at 656.
In Smith, trial counsel filed a motion for a new trial. The defendant then obtained a new lawyer who filed an amendment to the motion for a new trial, but did not raise the ineffective assistance issue. The court held that “[i]t is a requisite of a sound system of criminal justice, serving alike the proper ends of defendants and of the public, that any contention concerning the violation of the constitutional right of counsel should be made at the earliest practicable moment.” Id. at 656. The case was remanded for a hearing on the ineffective assistance claim.
In Thompson v. State, 257 Ga. 386 (359 SE2d 664) (1987), appellate counsel filed an amended motion for a new trial and did not raise the ineffective assistance issue until the direct appeal was filed. The case was remanded for a hearing in accordance with the holding in Smith, but the court went on to hold that henceforth “[a]ny ineffective counsel challenge will be deemed waived [and the case will not be remanded] if the new attorney files an amended motion for new trial and does not raise the issue before the trial court so that the challenge can be heard at the earliest practicable moment, i.e., during the hearing on the amended motion.” Id. at 388.
In Dawson v. State, 258 Ga. 380 (369 SE2d 897) (1988), the issue of ineffective assistance was raised in an amended motion for new trial by appellate counsel. He did not, however, request an evidentiary hearing on the issue. Instead, he chose to argue the motion by an extensive brief. The court held that Thompson did not control and remanded the case for an evidentiary hearing under Smith. The court, however, added that it will no longer remand such cases as appellate counsel must request a hearing in the amended motion for a new trial or the right to a hearing is waived.
In the instant case, trial counsel filed a motion for a new trial asserting only the general grounds. Twenty-one days later counsel filed a motion seeking permission to withdraw as Hightower’s attorney. The motion was granted, and the motion for a new trial was denied. A second attorney filed a timely notice of appeal and filed motions asserting Hightower’s indigency and requesting that he be appointed counsel on appeal. These motions were granted. At some point prior to filing an enumeration of error and brief with this court Walter J. Lane, Jr., was appointed to represent the appellant. He has *559not filed any documents in the lower court and raises the issue of ineffective assistance of trial counsel for the first time on appeal.
Decided December 5, 1988.
Walter J. Lane, Jr., for appellant.
Willis B. Sparks III, District Attorney, Robin B. Odom, Thomas J. Matthews, Assistant District Attorneys, for appellee.
I believe that the decisions in Thompson and Dawson have modified the holding in Smith and that the issue of ineffective assistance of counsel must be presented to the trial court and an evidentiary hearing requested or the issue is not preserved for appellate review.