Court Opinion

ID: 9493993
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 15:25:29.259883+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:56:08.965730
License: Public Domain

BRORBY, Circuit Judge,
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent.
The legal analysis of Mr. McGregor’s procedural competency claim as set forth in the majority en banc opinion is essentially the same as that applied by the majority and dissenting panel members in McGregor v. Gibson, 219 F.3d 1245 (10th Cir.2000). At each stage we asked whether the evidence and circumstances known to the trial court should have raised a bona fide doubt in the mind of a reasonable jurist about Mr. McGregor’s ability either to consult with his attorneys with a reasonable degree of rational understanding or to possess a rational and factual understanding of the judicial proceedings. See majority en banc op. at 954-55; McGregor, 219 F.3d at 1250-52; id. at 1257-58 (Murphy, J. dissenting). To answer this question we looked at relevant factors such as Mr. McGregor’s demeanor at trial, evidence of irrational behavior, prior medical opinions regarding competency, evidence of mental illness, defense counsel’s representations and the trial judge’s observations. Majority op. at 954; McGregor, 219 F.3d at 1251-52; id. at 1257-58 (Murphy, J. dissenting). The issue here, then, is not what law to apply. Rather, it is how established law applies to the facts of record in this case.
Two of the three panel members, exercising their best judgment, determined Mr. McGregor failed to show a bona fide doubt existed concerning his competency at the time of his second trial. McGregor, 219 F.3d at 1252. Now, after exercising their best judgment, six members — a majority— of the en banc court have determined a reasonable jurist would have harbored such a doubt. Majority op. at 962. This numbers game reveals an unfortunate, inherent shortcoming in our capital case ha-beas corpus jurisprudence. Some death row inmates whose cases present “close calls” garner enough appellate votes to secure federal habeas relief. Some do not.
After carefully reviewing the record, I continue to believe Mr. McGregor has failed to carry his burden of establishing a bona fide doubt in the mind of a reasonable jurist that he was competent to stand trial. The totality of the circumstances and evidence strongly suggest to this reasonable jurist Mr. McGregor deftly toyed with defense counsel and the trial court. Under these circumstances, I believe the observations and reasoned judgment of the trial judge carry significant weight. I would affirm the district court’s order denying habeas relief on all grounds.
TACHA, Chief Judge, and BALDOCK, Senior Circuit Judge, joining in the dissent.