State v. Vanover

LAVORATO, Justice.

A jury convicted the defendant, Obeli Van-over, of conspiracy to deliver a controlléd substance and possession of a controlled substance. His appeal presents the classic clash between a criminal defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to counsel of defendant’s choice and a trial court’s need to maintain the highest ethical standards of professional responsibility in the courtroom. The issue is whether the district court abused its discretion when it disqualified Vanover’s counsel because the State intended to call counsel as a witness to testify about a statement counsel took from…