Christopher A. Hall v. United States
DueProcess JusticiabilityDoctri
Does a higher standard exist for measuring competency to represent oneself at trial, than for competency to stand trial
QUESTION PRESENTED: “Does a higher standard exist for measuring competency to represent oneself at trial, than for competency to stand trial, in a case wherein a criminal defendant, who was shot in the head, and died in the emergency room of the hospital only to later self resuscitate in the morgue, to the shock of the attending physicians, was coerced into represent himself at trial? The due process issue is how can the petitioner, having been found legally competent to represent himself at trial be declared a_mentally competent pro-se advocate under Indiana v. Edwards, (infra) when the defendant was, and to this day continues to be medicated, due to his mentally decompensatory tendency, wherein during the course of a simple conversation, forgets the subject he is speaking about,” (emphasis added). 2