Weathers v. State

I concur in the judgment only. I write separately because, although I agree that appellant should not have been required to proceed to trial without first having the opportunity to speak with his attorney, I do not agree with the conclusion by the Majority that the circuit court abused its discretion in finding that appellant had no meritorious reason to discharge counsel.

As the Majority points out, Rule 4-215 does not define “meritorious.” And although the Court of Appeals has equated the term with “good cause,” see Dykes v. State, 444 Md. 642, 652, 121 A.3d 113 (2015), there has been…