Hooks v. State

OPINION

By the Court,

Cherry, J.:

This appeal presents the issue of whether appellant Jerry Hooks knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily waived his right to counsel when he exercised his right to represent himself at trial. Because the district court did not adequately canvass Hooks regarding his waiver, pursuant to Faretta v. California,1 and the record as a whole does not sufficiently establish a valid waiver, we reverse the judgment of conviction. In doing so, we clarify that a Faretta canvass conducted in justice court before a preliminary hearing will rarely be sufficient, standing…