Drope v. Missouri
| Drope v. Missouri | |
|---|---|
| Argued November 13, 1974 Decided February 19, 1975 | |
| Full case name | Drope v. Missouri |
| Citations | 420 U.S. 162 (more) 95 S. Ct. 896; 43 L. Ed. 2d 419; 43 L. Ed. 2d 103 |
| Case history | |
| Prior | The Missouri Court of Appeals held that the material presented did not raise reasonable doubt as to his competence to proceed to trial; that defendant's suicide attempt failed to create a reasonable doubt as to his competence; that he had not demonstrated any inadequacy in the legal procedures protecting his rights; that the trial court's finding that the defendant's absence from the trial was voluntary was up help. |
| Subsequent | Judgment reversed and remanded with directions to ensure competency evaluation before any further trial. |
| Holding | |
| The Missouri courts failed to give proper weight to the evidence suggesting petitioner's incompetence. There was insufficient inquiry to provide a basis for deciding the merits of waiving the defendant's right to be present at his trial. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinion | |
| Majority | Burger, joined by unanimous |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. amend. XIV | |
Drope v. Missouri, 420 U.S. 162 (1975), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held a Missouri trial court deprived a defendant of due process by failing to order a competency examination after he was hospitalized following an attempted suicide and as a result missed a portion of his trial for a capital offense.