Marshall v. State

BELL, C.J.,

dissenting, in which GREENE, J., joins.

The majority holds that “meaningful trial proceedings” have begun whenever a venire panel has been summoned, has entered the courtroom and been addressed, however preliminarily, by the trial judge. Op. at 364-66, 51 A.3d at 641-42 (2012). In this case, after some preliminary matters had been disposed of, a venire panel was summoned to the courtroom. After the panel members entered the courtroom, the trial judge greeted them, but, before he could introduce himself, he was interrupted by the petitioner’s request to represent himself. Op. at…