Legal Opinion
Castillo v. Estelle
Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Decided December 9, 1974No. 74-1972PublishedCited by 85 opinions
1Opinion of the Court
WISDOM, Circuit Judge:
The question this habeas case presents is whether an attorney can adequately represent a defendant in a criminal case while representing, in unrelated litigation, a principal witness for the prosecution, who was the victim of the offense for which the defendant was charged. We hold as a matter of law that this conflict of interest deprived the defendant of effective representation by counsel essential to a fair trial.
Gene Castillo, petitioner in this case, was tried before a jury in the District Court of Reeves County, Texas, and convicted for the felony theft of four…
2Cases cited8 opinions
- Glasser v. United StatesSupreme Court of the United States · 1942
- Edward Morgan MacKenna v. O. B. Ellis, Director, Texas Department of CorrectionsCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit · 1960
- Wilbert Herring v. W. J. Estelle, Director, Texas Department of CorrectionsCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit · 1974
- Robert Louis Porter v. United StatesCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit · 1962
- Vernon E. Goodson v. C. C. Peyton, Superintendent of the Virginia State PenitentiaryCourt of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit · 1965
3 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.
3Cited by85 opinions
- State v. KaheySupreme Court of Louisiana · 1983
- Nixon v. StateMississippi Supreme Court · 1987
- Richard Zuck v. State of AlabamaCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit · 1979
- United States v. Garland JeffersCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · 1975
- People v. CastroSupreme Court of Colorado · 1983
80 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.