Opinion ID: 71998
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Atkins Issues Raised in the COA Application

Text: Pierce's COA application raised the following five specific issues as bases for relief under Atkins : 1. As in Plata, Dr. Denkowski improperly contended that depression and anxiety had a suppressive effect on Pierce's IQ score; 2. As in Plata, Dr. Denkowski improperly evaluated Pierce's adaptive deficits and overstated the impact of sociocultural factors on these deficits; 3. Dr. Denkowski improperly criticized the results of IQ tests administered to Pierce by other experts as being less reliable because only certain subparts were administered; 4. Dr. Denkowski failed to inform the court of the Flynn Effect, which might have artificially inflated Pierce's IQ score on tests administered by other experts in 1975 and 1976. Dr. Denkowski also failed to inform the court that these same tests may be structured so as to overrepresent IQ; and 5. The state habeas trial court made a clearly erroneous finding of fact that one of Pierce's experts, Dr. Garnett, was not qualified to diagnose mental retardation. Although the TCCA declined to adopt this finding of fact, the state habeas trial court's other findings of fact as to Dr. Garnett, which the TCCA did adopt, improperly relied on this erroneous finding. In granting a COA, we directed Pierce to provide a record citation to where each such issue was raised before the state habeas court and federal district court or, if the issue was not raised in these forums, to explain why the issue could not have been raised there.