FIRST PRINCIPLESConstitutional Matters: Right to Counsel



2008 (Transition)

 

United States v. Rhoades, 65 M.J. 393 (under the Sixth Amendment, the accused in a criminal proceeding has the right to the assistance of counsel for his defense; under the UCMJ, an accused has the right to representation by military counsel provided at no expense to the accused, and the accused may be represented by civilian counsel; the right to counsel of choice under the Sixth Amendment, as well as under the UCMJ, is not absolute; the need for fair, efficient, and orderly administration of justice may outweigh the interest of the accused in being represented by counsel of choice; for example, disqualification of an accused’s chosen counsel due to a previous or ongoing relationship with an opposing party, even when the opposing party is the government, does not violate the Sixth Amendment). 

 

2007


United States v. Moran, 65 M.J. 178 (in the American system of justice, the exercise of the right to counsel is proof of neither guilt nor innocence).


2006

 

United States v. Dobson, 63 M.J. 1 (the right to counsel under the Sixth Amendment includes the right to the effective assistance of counsel).

 

United States v. Gonzalez, 62 M.J. 303 (servicemembers are guaranteed the right to effective assistance of counsel at trials by court-martial).

 

2005

 

United States v. Davis, 60 MJ 469 (the Sixth Amendment guarantees that a servicemember tried by court-martial will receive competent, effective legal representation; the Sixth Amendment right to effective assistance of counsel at trials by court-martial is a fundamental right of servicemembers). 

 

2004

 

United States v. Wiest, 59 MJ 276 (the right to counsel is fundamental to our system of justice).

 

United States v. Cain, 59 MJ 285 (members of the armed forces facing criminal charges, like their civilian counterparts, have a constitutional right to effective assistance of counsel). 


United States v. Seay, 60 MJ 73 (the Fifth Amendment right to counsel applies to pretrial interrogation; the Sixth Amendment provides criminal accused the right to counsel during criminal proceedings).  

 

(when an accused has invoked his right to have counsel present during custodial interrogation, a valid waiver of that right cannot be established by showing only that he responded to further police-initiated custodial interrogation even if he has been advised of his rights; an accused, having expressed his desire to deal with the police only through counsel, is not subject to further interrogation by the authorities until counsel has been made available to him, unless the accused himself initiates further communication, exchanges, or conversations with the police).

 

(one cannot anticipatorily invoke the right to counsel prior to custodial interrogation). 

 

(custodial interrogation may be reinitiated without counsel being present where a suspect is provided a meaningful opportunity to consult with counsel, and subsequently waives his right to counsel).

 

2003

United States v. Dorman, 58 MJ 295 (individuals accused of crime shall have the assistance of counsel for their defense through completion of their appeal; this right includes the right to the effective assistance of counsel on appeal).

1999

United States v. McClain, 50 MJ 483 (Sixth Amendment guarantee of the right to effective assistance of counsel means the right to counsel who is conflict free; to demonstrate a violation of this right an appellant must establish (1) an actual conflict of interests that (2) adversely affects the lawyer’s performance).

United States v. Scott, 51 MJ 326 (Sixth Amendment right to counsel codified under Article 27, UCMJ, applies to the pretrial, trial, and post-trial stages).


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