Michael Lawrence Woodbury v. Florida
DueProcess Punishment JusticiabilityDoctri
Whether the Florida Supreme Court correctly held that the trial court's inquiry and determination under the lower standard of competency to waive counsel was sufficient to grant self-representation to a defendant with severe mental illness under the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments
QUESTION PRESENTED Whether the Florida Supreme Court, rather than applying a heightened standard for competency to represent oneself for defendants with severe mental illness, correctly held — contrary to Indiana v. Edwards and other state court decisions — that the trial court’s inquiry and determination under the lower standard of competency to waive counsel was sufficient to grant self-representation to a defendant with severe mental illness under the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments? i