State v. Selalla

I

[¶ 73.] When non-English speaking people bring their own interpreters to court to assist them in communicating with their lawyers and comprehending the proceedings, can judges commandeer those interpreters to work for the court in interpreting testimony? That is the question we face here. Defense counsel thought it important enough to have a personal interpreter for his client during trial that he hired one specifically to assist in interpreting all communications between himself and his client. When counsel and client arrived in the courtroom, however, the trial judge, citing economics,…