Carl Edwin Wiggins v. W. J. Estelle, Jr., Director, Texas Department of Corrections, Respondent

GARZA, Circuit Judge:

Rarely does a case come before this Court with an issue never previously addressed. This is such a case. While other issues have been raised, 1 the pivotal issue on this appeal is whether a defendant who is permitted to conduct his own defense may still be denied his constitutional right of self-representation 2 by unwanted interference in his behalf by court-appointed, standby counsel. We conclude that such a violation can occur, as it did in the instant case, and reverse the district court’s denial of the Great Writ.

The circumstances surrounding the crime are easy to…