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512 Pa. 468

Commonwealth v. Bolden

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania

Decided November 17, 1986

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania · decided 1986-11-17

Cited by 8 later decisions — most recently December 2010

8 state decisions

Relies on Commonwealth Ex Rel. Washington v. Maroney

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1986-11-17

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NIX, Chief Justice,

¶1dissenting.

¶2This case illustrates the weakness of the Commonwealth ex rel. Washington v. Maroney, 427 Pa. 599, 235 A.2d 349 (1967), standard for the determination of the competency of trial counsel. We should not isolate one minute segment *484and attempt to second guess the actions of counsel to justify a finding of ineffectiveness of counsel. The entire trial must be viewed and, from that perspective, we must determine whether counsel’s performance was so deficient as to constitute a denial of a defendant’s Sixth Amendment guarantee. Absent such a showing, counsel must be deemed competent and a charge of ineffective assistance dismissed.

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