Opinion ID: 763540
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Petitioner's Procedural Competency Claim

Text: 11 Competency claims are based either upon substantive due process or procedural due process, although sometimes there is overlap. A competency claim based upon substantive due process involves a defendant's constitutional right not to be tried while incompetent. See Sena v. New Mexico State Prison, 109 F.3d 652, 654 (10th Cir.1997). Competence to stand trial requires that a defendant has sufficient present ability to consult with his lawyer with a reasonable degree of rational understanding-and whether he has a rational as well as factual understanding of the proceedings against him. Dusky v. United States, 362 U.S. 402, 402, 80 S.Ct. 788, 4 L.Ed.2d 824 (1960) (internal quotations omitted); see United States v. Williams, 113 F.3d 1155, 1159 (10th Cir.1997). A substantive competency claim is not subject to procedural bar. See Nguyen v. Reynolds, 131 F.3d 1340, 1346 (10th Cir.1997), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 119 S.Ct. 128, 142 L.Ed.2d 103 (1998). A petitioner is entitled to a nunc pro tunc evidentiary hearing to establish that he was incompetent at the time of trial only upon raising a threshold doubt about his competency by clear and convincing evidence. See id. 12 A competency claim based upon procedural due process involves a defendant's constitutional right, once a bona fide doubt has been raised as to competency, to an adequate state procedure to insure that he is in fact competent to stand trial. See Walker v. Attorney General for the State of Okla., 167 F.3d 1339, 1345 (10th Cir.1999). A defendant's irrational behavior, demeanor at trial, and prior medical opinion may create that bona fide doubt. See Drope v. Missouri, 420 U.S. 162, 180, 95 S.Ct. 896, 43 L.Ed.2d 103 (1975); Castro v. Ward, 138 F.3d 810, 818 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 119 S.Ct. 422, 142 L.Ed.2d 343 (1998). Unlike a substantive competency claim, one based upon procedural due process is subject to procedural bar. See Nguyen, 131 F.3d at 1346 n. 2. 13 Petitioner consistently has claimed that counsel was ineffective for not pursuing essentially a procedural competency claim on rehearing, specifically, that the evidence was insufficient for the state district court to have found a competency hearing. The district court construed the claim to encompass whether any competency hearing was conducted in accordance with the proper legal standard given Cooper v. Oklahoma, 517 U.S. 348, 116 S.Ct. 1373, 134 L.Ed.2d 498 (1996). In Cooper, the Supreme Court held that Oklahoma's requirement that a criminal defendant prove competency by clear and convincing evidence violated due process guarantees. See id. at 369, 116 S.Ct. 1373. Although the district court viewed such a Cooper claim as substantive and not subject to procedural bar, we have treated such a claim as procedural. See Rogers v. Gibson, 173 F.3d 1278, 1289 (10th Cir.1999); Walker, 167 F.3d at 1345. Thus, the competency claims in this case, whether a competency hearing was held and whether the correct standard was used (Cooper claim) are procedural.