Plumlee v. Masto

Opinion by Judge SILVERMAN; Dissent by Judge PREGERSON.

SILVERMAN, Circuit Judge:

The Supreme Court has held that a criminal defendant has a constitutional right to counsel who is free of conflicts of interest. It also has held that a defendant does not have a constitutional right to an appointed lawyer with whom he has a “meaningful relationship” so long as the lawyer acts as the client’s advocate. In this case, appellant Lary James Plumlee contends that he was unconstitutionally forced to represent himself when the Nevada state trial court refused to replace the Public Defender’s Office,…