What's a Faretta Hearing and when is I held?

A Faretta Hearing is conducted if a defendant wishes to represent himself and waive court appointed public defenders. Criminal defendant’s have a right to represent themselves pro se under the Sixth Amendment to the Untied States Constitution. However, a defendant’s decision to waive his right to counsel and represent him/herself must be done knowingly and intelligently.

During a Faretta Hearing the judge makes sure that the Defendant is aware of the benefits of having a real lawyer and makes sure that the defendant is making a knowing and intelligent waiver of his right to counsel. The judge can also inquire into his education and mental state to make sure he has the capability to represent himself.

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A Faretta hearing is a pretrial trial hearing designed to determine whether an individual who is seeking to represent himself or herself at trial is voluntarily waiving his or her right to counsel.

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A trial judge is only required to conduct a Faretta inquiry when there is an unequivocal request for self-representation. The purpose of a Faretta hearing is to determine whether a defendant is knowingly and intelligently waiving the right to counsel.

Faretta v. California, 422 U.S. 806 (1975), was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that criminal defendants have a constitutional right to refuse counsel and represent themselves in state criminal proceedings. If the defendant chooses to proceed pro se the court must conduct a Faretta hearing to determine whether or not the defendant is competent and to determine the voluntariness of the election to proceed pro se. The Faretta hearing must be an adequate inquiry by the court and provide notice to the defendant of the risks involved in self-representation.

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