Burden of Proof in Competence to Stand Trial Hearings

[摘要] competency to stand trialburden of proofexpert witnessesBurden to Prove Incompetence to Stand Trial Is Unnecessary to Reconsider When Faced with a Lack of Equally Strong, Conflicting EvidenceIn United States v. Washington, 968 F.3d 860 (8th Cir. 2020), a Minnesota defendant claimed the burden of proof to prove incompetency to stand trial was placed inappropriately on the defendant due to the conflicting opinions of the expert witnesses. Further, he argued the district court had erred in its drug quantity and firearm-related guideline determinations and had abused its discretion in the ultimate sentence imposed. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed the district court findings, ruling that the burden of proof for incompetence is only reconsidered in cases where the evidence is in equipoise. They also found no error in the guideline determinations or abuse of discretion in sentencing.

[学科分类] 儿科学

[关键词] competency to stand trial;burden of proof;expert witnesses