Opinion ID: 1210535
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: wood's request for additional financial and expert assistance

Text: Wood claims that Whittier committed a grievous error when he applied for investigative and expert assistance in open court with notice to the prosecutor. Wood relies upon a statutory procedure in the federal system and a process recognized by some state decisions. See 21 U.S.C. § 848(q)(9); 18 U.S.C. § 3006A; State v. Ballard, 333 N.C. 515, 428 S.E.2d 178 (N.C. 1993). Wood argues that he should have been permitted to obtain financial and expert assistance without notice to the prosecutor, and that Whittier should have attempted to obtain this assistance through an ex parte procedure. Wood claims that the U.S. Supreme Court's rationale in Ake v. Oklahoma, 470 U.S. 68, 105 S.Ct. 1087, 84 L.Ed.2d 53 (1985), leads to an inevitable conclusion that an ex parte procedure for obtaining expert assistance is constitutionally required. The issue dealt with by the U.S. Supreme Court in Ake was the state court's denial of a defense motion for a psychiatric evaluation at the state's expense when the defendant's mental state was clearly in issue. The facts and the language used by the Court in Ake indicates that Wood's proposed conclusion is not required. The U.S. Supreme Court addressed the issue in these terms: Our concern is that the indigent defendant have access to a competent psychiatrist for the purpose we have discussed, and as in the case of the provision of counsel we leave to the States the decision on how to implement this right. Ake, 470 U.S. at 83, 105 S.Ct. 1087. Idaho Code § 19-852 provides for a right to counsel for indigent persons and a right to the necessary services and facilities of representation (including investigation and other preparation). I.C. § 19-852(a)(2). Nothing in this section guarantees an ex parte application for the assistance. The fact that the prosecutor knows of the application for such assistance does not deny the defendant due process. Whittier did not provide ineffective assistance of counsel by making the requests for assistance in open court with notice to the prosecutor.
Coordinate with the argument that he was entitled to make requests for investigative and expert assistance without notice to the prosecutor, Wood argues that the district court should have appointed a so-called money judge to rule on the requests for funding the investigation and to pay experts. This Court has addressed the process to be followed in granting financial assistance to indigent persons pursuant to I.C. § 19-852(a): It is thus incumbent upon the trial court to inquire into the needs of the defendant and the circumstances of the case, and then make a determination of whether an adequate defense will be available to the defendant without the requested expert or investigative aid. If the answer is in the negative, then the services are necessary and must be provided by the state. Such a review necessarily involves the exercise of the sound discretion of the trial court. State v. Olin, 103 Idaho 391, 395, 648 P.2d 203, 207 (1982). The statute does not provide for the appointment of a money judge, and this Court has stated that the grant or denial of assistance is left to the sound discretion of the trial court. There is no constitutional infirmity in this process. Whittier did not provide ineffective assistance of counsel by failing to seek appointment of another judge to make decisions concerning the financing of investigative and expert assistance to the defense, and the district court did not err in failing to undertake such an appointment on its own initiative.