Court Opinion

ID: 9540313
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 16:14:34.088082+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:57:11.592900
License: Public Domain

CONCURRING OPINION

Justice SAYLOR,
concurring.
I join the majority opinion.
My only comment is to express continuing concern regarding the many cases in which we are seeing a clear failure, on the part of counsel, to provide the professional services neces*198sary to secure appellate review on the merits of a capital defendant’s or petitioner’s claims. See, e.g., Commonwealth v. Walter, 600 Pa. 392, 397-404, 966 A.2d 560, 563-67 (2009) (describing various of a capital appellant’s claims as “unintelligible,” underdeveloped, “vague and confusing,” waived, “incomprehensible,” and “incapable of review”). This is a matter which certainly merits ongoing monitoring by this Court in its supervisory capacity. The close attention of the Legislature is warranted as well, at the very least in terms of ensuring the availability of appropriate funding to provide the resources necessary to continue to reconcile its scheme of capital punishment with the constitutional mandate of an adequate defense for indigent individuals whom a State seeks to put to death.