Whether counsel for a person suffering severe mental illness throughout his entire life should have taken minimal steps to investigate his mental illness before agreeing to a plea bargain that resulted in a far-above Guidelines sentence?

QUESTION PRESENTED Trial counsel in this case failed to investigate Mr. Israel’s mental illness before his case was adjudicated. But Mr. Israel has been mentally ill for his entire life—and even now, under the care of the Bureau of Prisons, he suffers from severe schizophrenia. Because counsel failed, Mr. Israel was left without an insanity defense, did not seek a hearing on competency, and was not able to present proof of his illness during his sentencing. The question presented is whether, under Strickland and Hinton, counsel for a person suffering severe mental illness throughout his entire life (including on the day he allegedly committed his crimes) should have taken minimal steps to investigate his mental illness before agreeing to a plea bargain that resulted in a far-above Guidelines sentence?