State v. Haugen

266 P.3d 68, 351 Or. 325, 2011 Ore. LEXIS 867
Oregon Supreme Court·Decided November 21, 2011·No. CC 04C46224; SC S059519·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinions

[327] BALMER, J.

This matter comes to this court on a “request” that it enforce, on its own motion, an alternative writ of mandamus that it previously issued in connection with Gary Haugen’s death warrant proceeding. After that writ issued, this court determined that it had been complied with, and then sua sponte dismissed it. The request to now enforce the dismissed writ is premised on an assertion that the trial court did not comply with the writ. The request is filed by Oregon Capital Resource Center (OCRC), an organization that, when it attempted to participate in the earlier mandamus proceeding, failed to establish any right or authority to do so.1 As we will explain, we deny OCRC’s request, without deciding whether OCRC properly may make it, because we conclude that the judge to whom the writ was addressed has taken the actions that the writ required.

We begin by describing the procedural posture in which OCRC’s request arises. We then turn to the contrary arguments advanced by OCRC and the contrary legal analysis urged by the dissenting members of the court.

I. BACKGROUND

This court affirmed Haugen’s aggravated murder conviction and death sentence. State v. Haugen, 349 Or 174, 243 P3d 31 (2010). Judge Guimond, who had been the trial judge, then held a hearing on whether to issue the death warrant. Haugen was represented at the hearing by two lawyers, Simrin and Goody. Before the hearing, Haugen had made clear his desire to waive all further challenges to his conviction and sentence. Simrin and Goody, however, believed that Haugen was not competent to be executed. They filed a motion to declare Haugen incompetent, supported by Goody’s [328] declaration that Haugen had been interviewed and evaluated by a neuropsychologist, Dr. Lezak, who had concluded that Haugen was not competent to be put to death.

At the hearing, before considering Simrin and Goody’s motion, Judge Guimond received a letter from Haugen, asking him to remove Simrin and Goody as his lawyers and to permit him to proceed pro se. Simrin and Goody objected to being removed as Haugen’s lawyers, arguing that Judge Guimond had to hold a so-called “Faretta” hearing before accepting Haugen’s waiver of counsel and permitting him to go forward without representation; Simrin and Goody urged that Lezak’s evaluation was relevant and necessary to that issue.2 Judge Guimond disagreed on the necessity of an evidentiary hearing, and instead conducted a colloquy with Haugen. After doing so, and after advising Haugen of the risks of proceeding without counsel, Judge Guimond found Haugen to be competent, concluded that he was knowingly choosing to proceed pro se, and discharged Simrin and Goody. Judge Guimond, however, simultaneously appointed Simrin and Goody as “stand by” counsel to provide legal advice to Haugen at any point at which he might want that advice. Judge Guimond then asked Haugen a series of questions. Based on Haugen’s responses to those questions, Judge Guimond concluded that Haugen was validly waiving his rights to further challenge his conviction and sentence. Judge Guimond issued a death warrant setting a date for Haugen’s execution.

After the death warrant issued, OCRC filed a petition for a writ of mandamus contending that the trial court [329] had discharged Haugen’s lawyers and issued the death warrant without a sufficient inquiry into Haugen’s competence. In support of that petition, OCRC filed an affidavit by Lezak attesting that, in her opinion, Haugen was not competent to be executed. Simrin and Goody, Haugen’s discharged lawyers, submitted a letter supporting the petition. The state opposed the petition, arguing that OCRC lacked standing to file it. Haugen, appearing pro se, also opposed the petition, arguing principally that neither OCRC nor Simrin and Goody had authority to represent him or to seek relief on his behalf. Haugen also claimed that Simrin and Goody had divulged privileged and confidential attorney-client communications in their letter to the court, without his authorization.

This court concluded that OCRC had not made the necessary showing that it had any legal authority to bring the proceeding on Haugen’s behalf. The court further concluded, however, that Simrin and Goody, as Haugen’s former lawyers, had authority to challenge Haugen’s competency to discharge them. We therefore construed Simrin and Goody’s letter as a petition for an alternative writ challenging certain findings, rulings, and orders that Judge Guimond had entered, including the order discharging Simrin and Goody without adequate procedures to determine Haugen’s competence to waive counsel and proceed pro se. Having so construed Simrin and Goody’s letter, this court issued an alternative writ of mandamus directed to Judge Guimond.

In the order issuing the writ, the court described the state of the record at that point — Simrin and Goody had obtained Lezak’s evaluation, Lezak had concluded Haugen was not competent to be executed, and Simrin and Goody had sought an evidentiary hearing on the issue of Haugen’s competency, which Judge Guimond had denied. Given those facts, this court concluded that Judge Guimond had been obligated to follow certain statutory procedures — ones that he had not followed — before discharging Simrin and Goody and allowing Haugen to proceed pro se. In particular, the court noted, ORS 137.464 provides that, at a death warrant hearing, if a defendant wishes to waive his or her right to counsel and the trial court has “substantial reason to believe [330] that, due to mental incapacity, the defendant cannot engage in reasoned choices of legal strategy and options,” then the trial court “shall order” that the Oregon Health Authority or its designee assess the defendant’s mental capacity. The writ therefore directed Judge Guimond to vacate his related findings, rulings, and orders, including “[t]he finding that defendant Haugen is competent to waive his right to counsel” and “[t]he order removing Simrin and Goody as counsel for defendant Haugen[.]” Judge Guimond was ordered to then take the following further actions or to show cause for not doing so:

“1. Pursuant to ORS 137.464, order that the Oregon Health Authority or its designee perform an assessment of the defendant’s mental capacity to engage in reasoned choices of legal strategies and options;
“2. Pursuant to ORS 137.463(3) and (4), after completion of the assessment by the Oregon Health Authority or its designee and any other inquiry you deem appropriate, and before issuing a death warrant, hold an evidentiary hearing and
“a. permit Simrin and Goody to offer evidence pertinent to defendant Haugen’s mental capacity to make a competent, knowing, and voluntary waiver of his rights and to the question of whether defendant is competent for the purposes of being executed;

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State v. Haugen, 266 P.3d 68, 351 Or. 325, 2011 Ore. LEXIS 867 (Or. 2011).

266 P.3d 68 (State v. Haugen) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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State v. Haugen
266 P.3d 68 (Oregon Supreme Court, 2011)