State v. Howard

Defendant pleaded no contest to felony criminal endangerment under Mont. Code Ann. 45-5-207. The district court imposed a ten-year sentence to the Department of Corrections, with five years suspended. Defendant appealed, asserting claims of judicial bias and ineffective assistance of counsel. At no time during the proceedings did Defendant state a claim of judicial bias against the district court. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) this court declines to undertake consideration of the merits of Defendant’s bias allegation pursuant to the plain error doctrine; and (2) Defendant’s claim of ineffective assistance of counsel was not reviewable on direct appeal. View "State v. Howard" on Justia Law