Opinion ID: 760987
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: District Court Habeas Proceedings.

Text: 14 Brown filed his 28 U.S.C. § 2254 habeas petition in July 1993, asserting that his Sixth and Fourteenth Amendment rights were violated by the state trial court's failure to provide him with funds for an independent psychiatrist to assist in his defense. 2 The district court adopted the magistrate judge's recommendation and conditionally granted Brown's writ of habeas corpus. 15 Relying upon Ake, the district court ruled that the state trial court deprived Brown of due process by denying his motions for funds to hire an independent psychiatrist. In reaching this conclusion, the district court first determined that Brown could have made a threshold showing under Ake that his sanity at the time of the offense would be a significant factor at trial. See Castro v. Oklahoma, 71 F.3d 1502, 1513 (10th Cir.1995) (holding that where Ake was decided after trial but while direct appeal was pending, as was the case here, the proper inquiry is whether, upon review of the entire record, the habeas petitioner could have made a threshold showing under Ake that his sanity at the time of the offense is to be a significant factor at trial .... (quotation omitted)). The district court noted that the trial court had sufficient concerns about Brown's mental state to hold a competency hearing, that defense counsel made clear that the question of Brown's sanity was central to his defense, and that defense counsel twice requested funds to hire an independent psychiatrist. The district court also concluded that the testimony of Brown and the mental health professionals at trial supported the conclusion that Brown's mental health was a significant issue at trial. 16 The district court further held that the Ake error was not harmless. The district court pointed out that the state was required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Brown had the deliberate intent to take another person's life, see 21 Okla Stat. § 701.7(A), yet Brown's defense at trial was that he was not guilty because his mental illness prevented him from forming the requisite intent. The district court rejected the state's argument that the error was harmless because Brown could have elicited testimony from Dr. Ruedi concerning Brown's ability to form the requisite intent. The district court held that the trial court's refusal to provide Brown independent psychiatric assistance prevented him from developing relevant information concerning his mental health at the time of the offense, which had a direct bearing on an essential element of the crime. Because the trial court's error had denied Brown the ability to present an effective defense, the district court held the error was not harmless. 17 The district court conditionally granted Brown's habeas petition, ordering Brown to be released from custody unless the state granted him a new trial within 120 days from the date of its order. The state then filed this appeal. 18