Right to counsel
While a state may have many statutes, court decisions, or court rules governing
appointment of counsel for a particular subject area, a "Key Development" is a
statute/decision/rule that prevails over the others (example: a state high court
decision finding a categorical right to counsel in guardianships cases takes
precedence over a statute saying appointment in guardianship cases is
discretionary).
Litigation, Civil Commitment
In State ex rel. Memmel v. Mundy, 249 N.W.2d 573, 576 (Wis. 1977), the court stated that “At least as to indigents involved in such proceedings, it is a constitutional requirement that legal representation be provided for the person whose commitment is sought”, and relied on similar rulings from federal courts. The fact that the Memmel court relied entirely on federal decisions makes it likely that this was a decision based on the Fourteenth Amendment, as opposed to the state constitution’s due process clause.
If "yes",
the established right to counsel or
discretionary appointment of counsel
is
limited
in some way, including any of: the only authority
is a
lower/intermediate court decision or a city council,
not a high court or state legislature; there
has been
a subsequent case that
has
cast doubt; a statute
is
ambiguous; or the right or discretionary appointment
is not
for all types of individuals or proceedings
within that category.
categorical
no
