State v. Reed
Annotate this CaseAfter a jury trial, Defendant was found guilty of assault in the first degree and sentenced to ten years in prison. Defendant appealed, arguing that the circuit court abused its discretion in denying his motion to substitute retained counsel in place of his court-appointed counsel. The intermediate appellate court (ICA) affirmed the conviction and sentence, concluding that the circuit court did not abuse its discretion in denying Defendant’s motion. The Supreme Court vacated the ICA’s judgment on appeal and the circuit court’s judgment of conviction and sentence, holding that the circuit court abused its discretion in denying Defendant’s motion for withdrawal and substitution of counsel, resulting in the denial of Defendant’s right to privately retained counsel of choice under Haw. Const. art. I, 14. Remanded for a new trial.
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