Dist. Ct. erred in denying defendant’s habeas petition that challenged his bank robbery conviction on ground that Wisc. state court improperly denied his request to represent himself at trial, after said court found that defendant was not competent to represent himself. Said denial of defendant’s request to represent himself conflicted with standards set forth in Faretta, 422 U.S. 806, where state court improperly: (1) required defendant to persuade it that defendant was making knowing and voluntary decision to waive his right to counsel; (2) required defendant to persuade it that he had good reason to chose self-representation; and (3) imposed too high of competence standard, where defendant had 10th grade education and college level reading skill, and where court failed to identify any mental illness or impairment.
Federal 7th Circuit Court
Criminal Court
Sixth Amendment