Supreme Court decision shouldn’t affect Clark County convictions

Former Clark County District Attorney David Roger said he did not think any Nevada convictions would be jeopardized by Wednesday's U.S. Supreme Court decisions. In Nevada, attorneys have an ethical obligation to convey all offers of negotiation to their clients, he said.

"However, there is no doubt that incarcerated defendants will now claim that they were not told about potential negotiations," Roger said. "As a result, there will be a number of challenges by defendants."

Rene Valladares, the federal public defender for Nevada, said the high court "has re-emphasized the critical importance of providing vigorous representation for individuals charged with crimes."

"In these cases, the failure of lawyers to either convey plea offers to their clients or adequately counsel their clients about whether to accept a plea offer resulted in miscarriages of justice," Valladares said. "The court made clear that the Constitution requires defense counsel to provide effective assistance at every stage of a case, including plea negotiations."

Valladares also said the twin Supreme Court cases serve as "a reminder of how important it is to adequately fund offices providing legal representation for indigent defendants."