“The right of self-representation was guaranteed in many colonial charters and declarations of rights. These early documents establish that the ‘right to counsel’ meant to the colonists a right to choose between pleading through a lawyer and representing oneself … there is no evidence that the colonists and the Framers ever doubted the right of self-representation, or imagined that this right might be considered inferior to the right of assistance of counsel.” Faretta v. Cal., 422 U.S. 806, 828-832 (1975).
The right to self-representation is solidified by Federal statute. See 28 U.S.C. 1654 (2024) (“In all courts of the United States the parties may plead and conduct their own cases personally or by counsel as, by the rules of such courts, respectively, are permitted to manage and conduct causes therein.”). Those who choose to represent themselves in court are referred to as pro se, pro per, in propia persona, or self-represented.
