Patterson v. State

OPINION

By the Court,

Hardesty, J.:

Appellant Michael Patterson was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, murder with the use of a deadly weapon, and discharge of a firearm into a vehicle. He now appeals arguing, among other things, that his Sixth Amendment right to counsel was violated when he was denied his counsel of choice at his preliminary hearing before the justice court.

We recognize that the preliminary hearing is a “critical” stage of criminal proceedings at which a defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to counsel attaches, and we conclude that the justice court’s denial of Patterson’s…