No. 23-7663

Sandra Denise Curl, aka Sandra Curl Jacobs, aka Sandra Curl-Jacobs El, aka Minister Sandra El v. United States

Lower Court: Fourth Circuit
Docketed: 2024-06-07
Status: Denied
Type: IFP
Response WaivedIFP
Tags: criminal-procedure due-process mental-health right-to-counsel sixth-amendment von-moltke-v-gillies waiver waiver-of-counsel
Latest Conference: 2024-09-30
Question Presented (from Petition)

I. Whether, for a waiver of the Sixth Amendment right to trial counsel to be effective, a defendant must understand the elements of the charged offenses — as part of the defendant's understanding of the "nature of charges," Von Moltke v. Gillies, 332 U.S. 708, 724 (1948) (plurality op.)); cf. Bradshaw v. Stumpf, 545 U.S. 175, 183 (2005) ("Where a defendant pleads guilty to a crime without having been informed of the crime's elements, th[e] [due process] standard is not met and the plea is invalid.")

II. Whether a trial judge must provide unambiguous information about the maximum criminal penalties that a defendant faces upon conviction before accepting the defendant's waiver of her right to trial counsel.

III. Whether, when the record indicates that a criminal defendant has mental illness, a trial judge must make specific inquiries about the defendant's mental health history before accepting the defendant's waiver of her right to trial counsel.

IV. Whether a trial judge must address the factors set forth in the plurality opinion in Von Moltke, supra, in a waiver colloquy in order for a defendant's waiver of the Sixth Amendment right to counsel to be valid.

Question Presented (AI Summary)

Whether a defendant must understand the elements of the charged offenses for a valid waiver of the Sixth Amendment right to trial counsel

Docket Entries

2024-10-07
Petition DENIED.
2024-07-11
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 9/30/2024.
2024-07-05
Waiver of United States of right to respond submitted.
2024-07-05
Waiver of right of respondent United States to respond filed.
2024-06-05
Petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed. (Response due July 8, 2024)

Attorneys

Sandra Curl
Brent Evan NewtonAttorney at Law, Petitioner
Sandra Denise Curl
Richard Isaac FineRichard I Fine, Petitioner
United States
Elizabeth B. Prelogar — Respondent