Criminal Defense Blog
Ineffective Counsel
Writing on behalf of the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (WACDL), the Supreme Court adopted Mr. Weaver’s position when a mentally ill attorney provides ineffective assistance of counsel. The Supreme Court on February 15, 2018, ordered a new trial for Oscar Lopez.
Unreasonable Probation
In a unanimous decision on February 1, 2018, the Washington Supreme Court agreed with Mr. Weaver’s interpretation of the SSOSA statute, reversing the Court of Appeals in State v. Petterson. Mr. Weaver, who has represented Mr. Petterson for over a decade, argued that the probation officer had placed unreasonable probation conditions on him and those conditions should be reviewable by the trial judge. In a unanimous opinion, the Supreme Court agreed.