Court Opinion

ID: 9452676
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 17:48:20.453289+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:33:18.824147
License: Public Domain

BAZELON, Chief Judge
(dissenting):
If this were a case of first impression, I would seriously consider reversing the conviction without any showing of prejudice. An absolute rule requiring separate lawyers (unless there is an intelligent waiver) would free this court from the impossible task of speculating about what might have happened at a trial in which each defendant had his own lawyer. And it would free the trial judge, who must decide how many lawyers to appoint, from guessing before the trial whether something at the trial would indicate to us a conflict of interest among the defendants. However, the present rule requires a showing of prejudice, and, although this is not an easy case, I do not think prejudice appears.
Chapman v. California, 386 U.S. 18, 18 L.Ed.2d 241, 87 S.Ct. 824 (Feb. 20, 1967), upon which the majority relies, dealt with whether an admitted constitutional violation was harmful. Here, the question is whether there was a constitutional violation.
Accordingly, I respectfully dissent.