Did the District Court err in denying Johnsons motion to dismiss for lack of speedy trial?
• A criminal defendant’s right to a speedy trial is guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article II, Section 24 of the Montana Constitution. State v. Matthews (1995), 271 Mont. 24, 27, 894 P.2d 285, 287. As a general matter, the right to a speedy trial places on the State the burden of diligent prosecution at all stages of a criminal proceeding. See State v. Kipp, 1999 MT 197, 16, 295 Mont. 399, 16, 984 P.2d 733, 16; State v. Tweedy (1996), 277 Mont. 313, 318, 922 P.2d 1134, 1137 (citing State v. Tiedemann (1978), 178 Mont. 394, 400, 584 P.2d 1284, 1288). • Since the question of whether a defendant has been denied a speedy trial raises a matter of constitutional law, we review the district court’s conclusions of law on the right to a speedy trial to determine if its interpretation of the law is correct. See State v. Maier, 1999 MT 51, 74, 293 Mont. 403, 74, 977 P.2d 298, 74; State v. Olmsted, 1998 MT 301, 27, 292 Mont. 66, 27, 968 P.2d 1154, 27. The o
