Criminal law
In the United States, in any criminal prosecution by a State or the Federal Government the Sixth Amendment and Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution guarantee the right of the accused to refuse the aid of an attorney, though even in those circumstances the court may require that an attorney be present as an advisor should the accused desire help. [1] Once a person elects to be tried pro se, however, he or she has effectively waived the right to counsel for the remainder of the trial