Whether, for a waiver of the Sixth Amendment right to trial counsel to be effective, a defendant must understand the elements of the charged offenses — as part of the defendant's understanding of the "nature of charges," Von Moltke v. Gillies, 332 U.S. 708, 724 (1948) (plurality op.)). During petitioner's waiver colloquy with the district judge, the district judge failed to inquire whether petitioner understood the elements of the charges; failed to assure that petitioner understood that the maximum "years" of penalties that he faced were years of imprisonment (as opposed to years of probation); and failed to inquire about petitioner's education.

Whether the district court violated the Speedy Trial Act.

Whether the petitioner will be irreparably harmed if the requested stay is not granted.

Whether a defendant's waiver of the Sixth Amendment right to counsel is invalid if the trial court fails to inquire about the defendant's understanding of the charged offense elements and potential prison sentence