Alabama v. Lane

Issue: Whether a criminal defendant, to whom the Sixth Amendment grants no right to choose which lawyer a court will appoint to represent him in the first instance, nevertheless has a Sixth Amendment right to choose continued representation by that appointed lawyer, such that a court's erroneous replacement of that lawyer is structural error requiring automatic reversal, even when substitute counsel provides effective representation and the defendant is not otherwise prejudiced.

Briefs and Documents

Certiorari-stage documents

• Opinion below (Ala. S. Ct.)
• Petition for certiorari
• Brief in opposition
• Amicus brief of Texas et al.
• Reply for petitioner