Ineffective Assistance of Counsel

By: Derek Hawkins//March 16, 2020//

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7^th Circuit Court of Appeals

Case Name: Phillip Hartsfield v. Stephanie Dorethy

Case No.: 18-1736

Officials: FLAUM, ROVNER, and SCUDDER, Circuit Judges.

Focus: Ineffective Assistance of Counsel

Fifteen years ago, an Illinois jury convicted Phillip Hartsfield of first-degree murder and home invasion. Hartsfield unsuccessfully challenged his convictions on direct appeal and collateral attack in the Illinois courts. In 2014, Hartsfield petitioned a federal district court for a writ of habeas corpus alleging seven claims. The district court denied his petition and Hartsfield appealed. We certified one of the issues Hartsfield presented for review: whether the state court reasonably held that Hartsfield’s counsel did not usurp his personal right to testify at trial. We now affirm the judgment of the district court.

Affirmed

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Derek A Hawkins is trademark corporate counsel for Harley-Davidson. Hawkins oversees the prosecution and maintenance of the Harley-Davidson’s international trademark portfolio in emerging markets.

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