George T. C. Lollar v. United States

J. SKELLY WRIGHT, Circuit Judge:

Appellant and a co-defendant, Ford, were convicted of robbery and assault with a dangerous weapon.1 One attorney was appointed to represent both indigent defendants. Appellant now asserts that requiring him to share an attorney with his co-defendant deprived him of his constitutional right to effective assistance of counsel. We agree and hold that appellant is entitled to a new trial with the aid of his own attorney.

The Supreme Court long ago observed that “the ‘Assistance of Counsel’ guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment contemplates that such assistance be…