Source: https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/332/935/327103/
Timestamp: 2020-05-29 01:59:00
Document Index: 6176007

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 751', '§ 4244', '§ 4244', '§ 3500', '§ 4244', '§ 4244', '§ 4244', '§ 2255']

James Henry Meador, Jr., Appellant, v. United States of America, Appellee, 332 F.2d 935 (9th Cir. 1964) :: Justia
Justia › US Law › Case Law › Federal Courts › Courts of Appeals › Ninth Circuit › 1964 › James Henry Meador, Jr., Appellant, v. United States of America, Appellee
James Henry Meador, Jr., Appellant, v. United States of America, Appellee, 332 F.2d 935 (9th Cir. 1964)
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit - 332 F.2d 935 (9th Cir. 1964) June 1, 1964
C. A. Muecke, U. S. Atty., John E. Lindberg, Asst. U. S. Atty., Tucson, Ariz., for appellee.
James Henry Meador, Jr., appeals from a judgment of the District Court for the District of Arizona convicting him of escape from the custody of a federal marshal, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 751 (1958).
Prior to trial Meador's counsel, proceeding under 18 U.S.C. § 4244 (1958), moved in writing for a judicial determination of the mental competency of the accused to understand the proceedings against him or properly to assist in his own defense. After hearing, and without first causing Meador to be examined as to his mental condition by a qualified psychiatrist, the court denied the motion. Appellant contends that this was reversible error.
As an alternative ground for denial of the motion without first calling for a psychiatric examination, the court relied upon the report made to another judge of the same district court following a section 4244 examination of Meador, which examination had been made five months previously in another criminal proceeding, and upon the transcript of a hearing before the other district judge in the other criminal proceeding, which hearing was held three and a half months previously. In the report made by the psychiatrist, based upon a one-hour examination, the opinion was expressed that Meador was then mentally competent to stand trial. In the hearing held by the other judge following submission of that report, the same psychiatrist, relying upon his earlier examination, expressed the same opinion, and the other judge so found.
The district court in the case now before us thus proceeded on the theory that it is not necessary to call for a psychiatric examination before denying a section 4244 motion if the court determines, on the basis of materials such as those described above, that there is no reasonable cause to believe that the accused is mentally incompetent to stand trial. The statute, however, makes no mention of any such preliminary determination by the court as a basis for deciding whether to call for a psychiatric examination. The "reasonable cause" referred to in section 4244 is that of the movant, not the court. Nor does the statute contemplate a preliminary testing of the movant's reasonable cause as a basis for a possible denial of the motion without first calling for a psychiatric examination. See Krupnick v. United States, 8 Cir., 264 F.2d 213, 216; Wear v. United States, 94 U.S.App. D.C. 325, 218 F.2d 24, 26.5
As the District of Columbia Circuit said in Kelley v. United States, 95 U.S. App.D.C. 267, 221 F.2d 822, 825, the sequence laid down by Congress as to the appropriate means of avoiding the trial of one who is unable to understand the proceedings and to assist in his own defense is that the determination of his capacity in these respects shall be made before he is actually put on trial.8
The judgment is reversed and the cause is remanded for a new trial, with opportunity to the United States Attorney, the accused, and the court, for pre-trial consideration and action pursuant to 18 U.S. C. § 4244.
As I read 18 U.S.C. § 3500, a defendant is entitled to any pertinent statement in the government file at the moment during the trial when he has become entitled to them and thereafter asks for them. This does not mean after the trial.
Yet the Supreme Court in Killian v. United States, 368 U.S. 231, 82 S. Ct. 302, 7 L. Ed. 2d 256, ordered a hearing to explore what Killian had been deprived of. It did not forthwith reverse the case. We followed the same procedure in Ogden v. United States, 9 Cir., 303 F.2d 724, 323 F.2d 818. I would think it equally appropriate under 18 U.S.C. § 4244, Meador's section.
As the record shows, Meador has a previous history in the district court where the same claim for examination under § 4244 was made. Shall we delay each of his trials with a motion under § 4244 close to the trial date?
See Lewellyng v. United States, 5 Cir., 320 F.2d 104, 105; United States v. Walker, 6 Cir., 301 F.2d 211, 214; Krupnick v. United States, 8 Cir., 264 F.2d 213; Wear v. United States, 94 U.S.App. D.C. 325, 218 F.2d 24, 26
The court, in fact, expressed the view that counsel for Meador "* * * is in good faith in his motion * * *."
"Defense counsel has, in connection with assisting the defendant, James Henry Meador, Jr., to prepare his defense, made a number of recommendations to the defendant which he believes to be for the best interests of the defendant. However, defendant appears to be unable to grasp the import of the suggestions of his counsel and, therefore, counsel believes that he is unable to properly assist in the defense of this case. Counsel has also received communications from defendant which indicate a claim on his part that at the time of the alleged offense he did in fact believe that he was someone other than himself. Defendant also advises that during his minority he had been under psychiatric treatment, although he does not define the nature of the illness treated. No examination has been had in connection with the specific charge in this case. The court is, we are sure, aware of the numerous serious criminal offenses alleged to have been committed by this defendant. The number and nature of these offenses would indicate that a psychiatric disorder exists which should be determined by thorough testing if this defendant is to obtain a fair and impartial trial * * *."
Where the question arises in an appeal in a proceeding under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 (1958), and it is determined that there was such an error, the usual practice is to remand to the district court with directions to order a psychiatric examination of the accused for the purpose of determining whether he was mentally competent at the time of the trial at which he was convicted. This is the so-called nunc pro tunc approach. See United States v. Walker, 6 Cir., 301 F.2d 211; Krupnick v. United States, 8 Cir., 264 F.2d 213; Lloyd v. United States, 101 U.S.App.D.C. 116, 247 F.2d 522.
Where a section 4244 motion made by the accused or the court, was first granted, leading to a determination of incompetency, following which the accused was later brought to trial or sentencing on the supposition that he had recovered his sanity, the appellate remedy may be a nunc pro tunc procedure as described in note 6. See Wells v. United States, U.S. App.D.C. 310, 239 F.2d 931; Gunther v. United States, 94 U.S.App.D.C. 243, 215 F.2d 493. But, in Kelley v. United States, 95 U.S.App.D.C., 267, 221 F.2d 822, involving somewhat similar circumstances, the judgment was reversed and the cause remanded for a new trial.
See also, Perry v. United States, 90 U.S. App.D.C. 186, 195 F.2d 37, 39. In two other circuits, the nunc pro tunc procedure has been used even where the question arose on an appeal from the conviction as distinguished from an appeal in a collateral proceeding. See Lewellyng v. United States, 5 Cir., 320 F.2d 104; Kenner v. United States, 8 Cir., 286 F.2d 208. The court, in Kenner, cited only its decision in Krupnick v. United States, 8 Cir., 264 F.2d 213, as authority for the nunc pro tunc procedure. As pointed out in note 6, Krupnick was a section 2255 proceeding. The court, in Lewellyng, cited as precedent for the nunc pro tunc procedure the Kenner and Krupnick decisions, and also the Wells and Gunther decisions which, as pointed out in note 7, are also distinguishable from our case.
In a similar context the Supreme Court has commented upon the difficulties of retrospectively determining an accused's competency "as of more than a year ago." See Dusky v. United States, 362 U.S. 402, 403, 80 S. Ct. 788, 789, 4 L. Ed. 2d 824