United States Supreme Court says you have the right to hire the attorney of your choosing:
Let’s suppose you’re accused of a financial crime. As part of its investigation the government freezes your assets. All of your assets – even those entirely unrelated to the crime you’re accused of. In cases like these it was the prosecutor’s (a.k.a. your government’s) position that you still have the 6th Amendment right to hire counsel – they’ll just have to work for free. This was the exact situation Sila Luis found herself in. So she took the issue all the way to the United States Supreme Court in Sila Luis v. United States.
Upholding the 6th Amendment
Fortunately, the United States Supreme Court said not so fast. On Wednesday, Justice Breyer reminded the government that the 6th Amendment grants the accused the opportunity to secure counsel of his or her own choice. Therefore, Ms. Luis is able to use the untainted funds to hire a competent lawyer of her choosing. The court focused on the fact that the right of counsel, of your own choosing, lies at the heart of a fair and effective criminal justice system. The government cannot prevent the accused (innocent until proven guilty) from hiring his or her preferred lawyer. This case is a major win for the 6th Amendment and a pushback on government overreach.
Choose the Right Attorney For Your Case
If you’re accused of drunk driving make Dineen Defense Firm your choice of attorneys. Attorneys Nathan J. Dineen and Daniel R. Skarie will fight the government to preserve your constitutional rights.
The information contained in this post was taken from the following article:
Stern, Mark Joseph. “SCOTUS Gets It Right on a Big Sixth Amendment Case, Thanks to Clarence Thomas.” Slate Magazine. N.p., 30 Mar. 2016. Web. 31 Mar. 2017. Link to Article
