Supreme Court restores convictions in case involving leg shackles

SAGINAW (AP) -- The Michigan Supreme Court has reinstated several convictions against a man who claimed his rights were violated when a Saginaw County judge required him to wear leg shackles if he wanted to act as his own lawyer. Charles Arthur's attempted murder conviction and other crimes had been thrown out by the appeals court. The issue boiled down to whether it was proper for a judge to require shackles. The judge said it was a security matter at the 2006 trial. Arthur then decided against acting as his own lawyer. He felt he wouldn't be able to move freely and feared the jury would notice. The Supreme Court last week said Arthur had a right to represent himself but the right is not unfettered, especially for a violent man. Published: Tue, Oct 1, 2013