Does a defendant have to make an unequivocal assertion of self-representation before a criminal trial?
California, United States of America
The following excerpt is from People v. Lopez, B294146 (Cal. App. 2020):
e.g., People v. Bradford (1997) 15 Cal.4th 1229, 1365 ['[A]lthough in a criminal trial a defendant has a federal constitutional, unconditional right of self-representation, in order to invoke that right, he or she must make an unequivocal assertion of that right within a reasonable time prior to the commencement of trial.'].)
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