Supreme Court of California

When a defendant charged with a felony has been adequately advised at the municipal court stage (or equivalent stage in unified superior court) of the right to counsel, and has clearly waived that right in favor of self-representation, the superior court's failure to re-advise the defendant and obtain a new waiver of counsel at arraignment, though erroneous, does not require automatic reversal of a conviction.

Appellate Information

• Decided 07/08/2002
• Published 07/08/2002

Judges

• GEORGE, C.J.

Court

• Supreme Court of California

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
•  Gregory R. Ellis, under appointment by the Supreme Court;  Wolff & Ellis, Wolff, Ellis & Clausen, Joan Wolff and Gerald Clausen, San Francisco, for Defendant and Appellant., Bill Lockyer, Attorney General, David P. Druliner, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Carol Wendelin Pollack, Assistant Attorney General, Kenneth C. Byrne and Jaime L. Fuster, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.