State v. Darby

¶ 1.

James Darby appeals the judgment of conviction for aggravated battery and the order denying postconviction relief, presenting two issues for our review. The first issue is whether Darby was denied his constitutional right to represent himself at trial, which requires us to decide as a threshold matter whether Darby is correct that the circuit court had an obligation to advise him of his right to self-representation. This is a question of first impression in Wisconsin. Consistent with case law from other jurisdictions, we conclude that a defendant must clearly and unequivocally declare a…