Villarreal v. Texas · ¶66

In light of these different circumstances, the Court struck a different balance in Geders v. United States, 425 U. S. 80 (1976), and held that a trial judge may not prohibit all attorney-client consultation during an overnight break. But that decision did not alter the baseline rule that, if a defendant elects to take the stand, the jury is entitled to hear the defendant's own story in his own words, not a version crafted or edited by counsel. Thus, during an overnight break, a defendant may consult his attorney about matters other than the defendant's testimony, but any efforts to shape what the defendant will say when he resumes testifying are improper. And attempts to achieve that end indirectly are just as improper as attempts to do so directly.

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