Self-representation ‘almost always a mistake,’ expert warns as Trump trial begins

Ryan Routh accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump when he was a major candidate in the referendum at his Florida golf club last year has chosen to represent himself in court a decision one legal expert says could prove disastrous Cully Simson a former prosecutor defense attorney and judge informed Fox News Digital that while the Constitution guarantees the right to self-representation it s almost consistently a mistake It really makes no sense for somebody to defend themselves especially in a serious situation he disclosed They have the right to do it but it s not prudent RYAN ROUTH TRIAL OPENS WITH BIZARRE JURY QUESTIONS AND WITNESS DRAMASelf-representation creates risks and an rare courtroom dynamic where the judge and prosecutor have to pull their punches to protect the record and essentially protect the defendant from himself A seasoned defense attorney knows how to put prosecutors to the test forcing them to prove every element of the situation and conscientiously laying the groundwork for possible appeals When a defendant represents himself Simson noted that kind of strategy is utterly missing And so what ends up happening is the judge and the prosecutor has to play in a weird way a defensive role in addition to the role of the judge being a neutral and impartial arbiter of the law and the prosecutor just be the person who advocates on behalf of the governing body You have to essentially protect the defendant from himself and that is so much more hard he explained RYAN ROUTH TRIAL JURY SELECTION BEGINS IN TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT CASESimson revealed defense attorneys typically push the envelope and force the administration to object but when someone is representing themselves lawyers hold back because he's not going to be smart enough or educated enough to object This can sometimes create an atmosphere where a right to a fair trial can become skewed and it's something law students examination too That's that sophisticated point that law students talk about and lawyers talk about If you had a populace defender or a private defense counsel who wasn't very good and made a number of mistakes during the trial if the guy's convicted one of the first things on appeal is you'll claim ineffective assistance of counsel Simson revealed You can't claim ineffective assistance of counsel when you represent yourself When sought if there were any pros to self-representation in a federal trial Simson stated I guess one pro would be to conduct his defense exactly how he desired to For example in the Long Island shooter event no criminal defense attorney was going to let that nut job act out in court and be the wacko he was he mentioned TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT SUSPECT RYAN ROUTH CAN REPRESENT HIMSELF AT TRIAL FEDERAL JUDGE RULESAs in the notorious Long Island Rail Road circumstance convicted killer Colin Ferguson chose to represent himself and even took the witness stand to question his own casualties Routh has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate and assaulting a federal officer Prosecutors say he was armed with an AK-style rifle when Secret Institution agents stopped him near Trump s golf subject in West Palm Beach in September The trial is expected to last several weeks but Trump-appointed Judge Aileen Cannon urged both sides to keep proceedings efficient CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPOpening statements are tentatively scheduled for Thursday Sept if the panel is seated on time