Court Opinion

ID: 9484289
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 09:47:34.363919+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:50:08.875932
License: Public Domain

EMILIO M. GARZA, Circuit Judge,
concurring specially:
“The Fifth Amendment privilege [against compelled self-incrimination] ... is fulfilled only when a criminal defendant is guaranteed the right ‘to remain silent unless he chooses to speak in the unfettered exercise of his own will, and to suffer no penalty ... for such silence.’ ” Estelle v. Smith, 451 U.S. 454, 467-68, 101 S.Ct. 1866, 1875, 68 L.Ed.2d 359 (1981) (quoting Malloy v. Hogan, 378 U.S. 1, 8, 84 S.Ct. 1489, 1493-94, 12 L.Ed.2d 653 (1964)). Vanderbilt insisted, against the advice of counsel, upon submitting to a psychiatric evaluation, even though he was informed that the results of the evaluation would be made available to the prosecutor. Vanderbilt was the victim of neither coercion nor deception, but instead “ch[ose] to speak in the unfettered exercise of his own will.”
I agree with the majority that, under our decision in Battie v. Estelle, 655 F.2d 692 (1981), “the fact that the defense requested the examination does not obviate the necessity for giving the Miranda warnings where the defense did not request such an examination on the question of future dangerousness.” See id. at 702. However, I write separately to express my view that Battie, insofar as it affords relief to a criminal defendant who has spoken in the unfettered exercise of his own will, against the advice of counsel, is adrift from the fundamental interests protected by the Fifth Amendment, Miranda, and Estelle. I concur specially in Part II of the majority’s opinion.