Miller v. Blacketter

O’SCANNLAIN, Circuit Judge:

We are called upon to decide whether a defendant, whose attorney moved on the morning of trial to withdraw from the case and to postpone proceedings, was denied his right to the counsel of his choice when the trial judge denied the motions.

I

A

Thirty-four-year-old Dustin Vade Miller, unarmed but purporting to be holding a gun, robbed several small retail establishments over a ten-day period in 1998. He was apprehended by police, fought back, and later confessed to the crimes. Miller was charged in Lane County, Oregon, with several counts of robbery, assaulting a…