Disorder
in the court

When your fate hinges on the decision of 12 jurists, there may be ways to sway their opinion in your favour. A flower in your lapel, perhaps, or a mouthed “call me” to the spinsterly librarian in the second row. But when accused of assault, pummelling your lawyer’s face into pulp while the jury watches on is no way to charm your way to acquittal. In fact, in Minnesota at least, it can now justifiably result in forfeiture of your right to an attorney.

William E. Lehman, on trial for stabbing two men over their loud music, had complained that his court-appointed public defender, Mark Groettum, was trying to sabotage the trial. He asked for a new attorney. The judge refused, so Lehman caught Groettum in a headlock and began punching him repeatedly in the face. Groettum withdrew from the case and the court ordered Lehman to defend himself. He was found guilty, but appealed on the grounds he’d been lawyer-less.

Minnesota’s Court of Appeals ruled that brutally stomping one public defender fairly overrides the court’s responsibility to provide another. The 58-year-old Lehman will serve 14 years for the stabbings, with six months tacked on for the work he did on Groettum.

by Scott Saxon