The Supreme Court on Thursday said that defendants found mentally competent to stand trial are not necessarily also competent to represent themselves at the trial. As a result, the Court ruled by a 7-2 vote that states may insist that mentally ill defendants be represented by counsel when "they are not competent to conduct trial proceedings by themselves." Writing in dissent, Justice Antonin Scalia accused the majority of being politically incorrect in its treatment of the mentally ill.
June 20, 2008 at 12:00 AM
1 minute read
The original version of this story was published on Law.Com
Lawyers are good for something, it appears.
The Supreme Court on Thursday said that defendants found mentally competent to stand trial are not necessarily also competent to represent themselves at the trial. As a result, the Court ruled by a 7-2 vote that states may insist that mentally ill defendants be represented by counsel when “they are not competent to conduct trial proceedings by themselves.”
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