Downie v. Superior Court

OPINION

MANNHEIMER, Judge.

Assistant Public Defender Susan E. Downie appeals an order of the superior court holding her in contempt of court for refusing to testify at a grand jury hearing. We affirm the superior court’s order.

This case presents the question of whether a defense attorney may be compelled to testi fy concerning whether she informed her client of the client’s trial date. These are the underlying facts:

In 1994, the Public Defender Agency was appointed to represent a man named Warren Strickland who was accused of kidnapping and assault in State v. Strickland, case number…