Court Opinion

ID: 9553817
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 19:35:41.545738+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:32:18.680258
License: Public Domain

HOLOHAN, Justice
(dissenting).
A defendant has the right to change his decision concerning the appointment of counsel, and he may then have counsel appointed to defend him. State v. Steed, 109 Ariz. 137, 506 P.2d 1031 (1973). In the case at issue the defendant recognized his inability to represent himself in the trial, and, although he had previously refused the public defender as appointed counsel, he changed his decision and advised the court that he was willing to have the public defender represent him in the trial.
The public defender asked for a recess overnight to prepare for the trial. The trial judge denied this request. The record also indicates that the trial judge did not appoint the public defender to represent the defendant but merely placed him in the capacity of an advisor with the defendant left to conduct the trial. The majority finds no abuse of discretion by the trial court in these actions. I disagree.
Certainly an accused may not request the appointment of counsel late in the proceedings as a device to delay and obstruct the trial of the case. I find no abuse of discretion in the refusal of the trial court to grant a mistrial so that the defendant might have the trial start anew. The crucial factor is whether the public defender should have been granted an overnight recess to prepare himself to represent the defendant during the remainder of the trial.
The request for the appointment of counsel and for a continuance was made after the noon recess. The delay sought was a matter of hours, that is, until the next morning. The request does not appear to me to be unreasonable. On the contrary, the denial of the continuance is an abuse of discretion. The action by the trial court in effect denied the defendant an opportunity to have effective counsel represent him for the balance of the case, and the actions of the trial court in having the public defender act as advisor denied the defendant the right to counsel.
I would reverse the conviction and grant the defendant a new trial at which he could be represented by counsel.