Published on: Tuesday, August 16, 2022
At supervised-release-revocation hearing, man tells district court he wanted his previous attorney to represent him because “[s]he knows my case inside and out.” District court: tells man (initially convicted and imprisoned for threatening to kill a federal judge), no. Your choices are to represent yourself or be represented by appointed counsel who knows nothing about your case and admitted to being "as dumb as a doorbell or a doorknob." Eighth Circuit: This violates the right to counsel. Violation revocated reversed.
The case is United States v. Ivers, 21-3478 (8th Cir. Aug. 10, 2022).