Rahhal v. State

Eahhal claims he was denied his constitutional right to assistance of counsel for his defense and therefore his conviction should be reversed. It is argued that an indigent has a constitutional right to pick his own counsel at public expense. Rahhal relies on Crooker v. California (1958), 357 U. S. 433, 78 Sup. Ct. 1287, 2 L. Ed. 2d 1448, and Chandler v. Fretag (1954), 348 U. S. 3, 75 Sup. Ct. 1, 99 L. Ed. 4. He claims Mr. Steininger was not of his choosing, but as we read the record this claim has no basis in fact. While Rahhal contends he only wanted to hire Mr. Steininger to represent him…