BILL REQ. #:  S-0198.1 

Read first time 01/10/11.   Referred to Committee on Judiciary.

     AN ACT Relating to pro se defendants in criminal cases questioning victims; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   While Article I, section 22 of the state Constitution and the sixth amendment of the United States Constitution protect the right of a defendant to represent him or herself in a criminal trial, Article I, section 35 of the state Constitution requires that crime victims be accorded due dignity and respect. Conflicts may arise between these constitutional provisions when a pro se defendant questions a victim in court. Procedures may be employed that preserve the pro se defendant's control over his or her own trial and that limit the trauma experienced by the victim. The legislature commends consideration of these competing constitutional provisions to the supreme court of Washington.