Opinion ID: 780969
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Denial of Expert Assistance

Text: 28 Mason first argues that the Ohio Supreme Court unreasonably applied clearly established Supreme Court precedent in [p]remising [an indigent defendant]'s constitutional right to expert and investigative assistance solely on the discretion of the trial court without further review. Petitioner's Br. at 25. Indigent prisoners are constitutionally entitled to the basic tools of an adequate defense or appeal, when those tools are available for a price to other prisoners. Britt v. North Carolina, 404 U.S. 226, 227, 92 S.Ct. 431, 30 L.Ed.2d 400 (1971) (citing Griffin v. Illinois, 351 U.S. 12, 76 S.Ct. 585, 100 L.Ed. 891 (1956)). Both Britt and Griffin involved requests for free transcripts of trial proceedings. See Britt, 404 U.S. at 226, 92 S.Ct. 431; Griffin, 351 U.S. at 13, 76 S.Ct. 585. The Supreme Court has also held that psychiatric assistance is a basic tool of an adequate defense in two general circumstances: (1) when a defendant has made a preliminary showing that his sanity at the time of the offense is likely to be a significant factor at trial, and (2) in the context of a capital sentencing proceeding, when the State presents psychiatric evidence of the defendant's future dangerousness. Ake v. Oklahoma, 470 U.S. 68, 74, 83, 105 S.Ct. 1087, 84 L.Ed.2d 53 (1985). On appeal, Mason claims that Ake required Ohio to provide him with the following types of expert assistance: (1) a soil and debris expert to examine the soil found on the clothing and shoes of Robin, Mason, and Chris; (2) a shoe-print expert to identify and compare the prints found in Robin's car with those made by the shoes of Mason, Robin, and Chris; (3) a mitigation-investigation expert to examine Mason's background for potential mitigation evidence; and (4) an independent, competent forensic mental health expert to help defense counsel at the sentencing phase. Petitioner's Br. at 28-33. 29 In this case, the Ohio Supreme Court understood Ake to require that a criminal defendant be provided [nonpsychiatric] expert assistance when necessary to present an adequate defense. Mason, 694 N.E.2d at 943. This is consistent with the principle summarized in Ake that: 30 Meaningful access to justice has been the consistent theme of these cases. We recognized long ago that mere access to the courthouse doors does not by itself assure a proper functioning of the adversary process, and that a criminal trial is fundamentally unfair if the State proceeds against an indigent defendant without making certain that he has access to the raw materials integral to the building of an effective defense. Thus, while the Court has not held that a State must purchase for the indigent defendant all the assistance that his wealthier counterpart might buy, it has often reaffirmed that fundamental fairness entitles indigent defendants to an adequate opportunity to present their claims fairly within the adversary system. To implement this principle, we have focused on identifying the basic tools of an adequate defense or appeal, and we have required that such tools be provided to those defendants who cannot afford to pay for them. 31 Ake, 470 U.S. at 77, 105 S.Ct. 1087 (internal citations omitted). The Ohio Supreme Court then held that nonpsychiatric expert assistance should be provided only where the trial court finds, in the exercise of a sound discretion, that the defendant has made a particularized showing (1) of a reasonable probability that the requested expert would aid in his defense, and (2) that denial of the requested expert assistance would result in an unfair trial. Id. at 944. 32 We are not persuaded that the Ohio Supreme Court applied Ake in an objectively unreasonable manner. In Ake, the Supreme Court weighed three factors in determining whether access to competent psychiatric assistance was required: (1) the private interest that will be affected by the action of the State; (2) the governmental interest that will be affected if the safeguard is to be provided; and (3) the probable value of the additional or substitute procedural safeguards that are sought, and the risk of an erroneous deprivation of the affected interest if those safeguards are not provided. Ake, 470 U.S. at 77, 105 S.Ct. 1087. In this case, the Ohio Supreme Court simply stated that trial courts have discretion in evaluating the third factor. We do not believe that this application of Ake was objectively unreasonable. Therefore, bound as we are by the dictates of AEDPA, we hold that Mason is not entitled to habeas relief on this claim.
33 Even if his sanity were not a significant issue during the trial, an indigent defendant on trial for his life has the right to psychiatric or psychological assistance during the sentencing phase when the State presents psychiatric evidence of the defendant's future dangerousness. Ake, 470 U.S. at 83, 105 S.Ct. 1087; Skaggs v. Parker, 235 F.3d 261, 272 (6th Cir.2000), cert. denied, 534 U.S. 943, 122 S.Ct. 322, 151 L.Ed.2d 241 (2001). The State of Ohio did not present such evidence in this case. Therefore, Mason did not have a clearly established right to any psychiatric assistance at sentencing. Regardless of the fact that he was not entitled to such assistance, Mason alleges that the psychiatrist that the trial court did provide was inadequate. However, we have previously read Ake narrowly, holding that the issue is whether a defendant had access to a competent psychiatrist in preparation of his defense, Skaggs, 235 F.3d at 267 n. 2 (internal quotation marks omitted), and not whether the expert was in fact competent. Id. at 272. We did note in Skaggs that the failure of defense counsel to engage a competent psychiatrist would be relevant in determining whether a defendant received ineffective assistance of counsel. Id. at 267 n. 2. With respect to Mason's Ake claim, however, we conclude that Supreme Court precedent has not clearly established a defendant's right to more than mere access to competent psychiatric assistance.