Jean-Paul Gamarra v. United States
AdministrativeLaw DueProcess
Whether the Constitution permits the government to satisfy the Sell requirements based on testimony from a prison psychiatrist who did not examine, or make reasonable efforts to examine, the defendant?
QUESTION PRESENTED In Sell v. United States, 539 U.S. 166, 179 (2003), this Court held that “the Constitution permits the Government involuntarily to administer antipsychotic drugs to a mentally ill defendant facing serious criminal charges in order to render that defendant competent to stand trial, but only if the treatment is medically appropriate, is substantially unlikely to have side effects that may undermine the fairness of the trial, and, taking account of less intrusive alternatives, is necessary significantly to further important governmental trial-related interests.” This case presents the question whether the Constitution permits the government to satisfy the Sell requirements based on testimony from a prison psychiatrist who did not examine, or make reasonable efforts to examine, the defendant? Li