Villarreal v. Texas · ¶82

The trial judge's order here complied with our precedents. The trial judge instructed defense counsel not to “discus[s] what you couldn't discuss with [Villarreal] if he was on the stand in front of the [j]ury,” and explained that “you couldn't confer with him while he was on the stand about his testimony.” 707 S. W. 3d, at 142 (boldface omitted). The trial judge otherwise allowed Villarreal and his counsel to meet and discuss anything that they wanted. Ibid. Under Ged ers and Perry, the trial judge's order was constitutional because Villarreal could discuss matters other than his testimony. See Geders, 425 U. S., at 88; Perry, 488 U. S., at 284. Perry, in fact, specifically endorsed orders that “permit consultation between counsel and defendant during such a recess, but forbid discussion of ongoing testimony.” Id., at 284, n. 8. The order therefore did not deny Villarreal “the…

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