Court Puts Limits on Mentally Ill Defendants

By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press Writer
In a 7-2 ruling, the Supreme Court limits mentally ill defendants' rights to represent themselves.

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that criminal defendants with a history of mental illness do not always have the right to represent themselves, even though they have been judged competent to stand trial.
The justices, by a 7-2 vote, say states can give trial judges discretion to prevent someone from acting as his own lawyer if they are concerned that the trial could turn into a farce.

The decision comes in the case of an Indiana man who was convicted of attempted murder and other charges in 2005 for a shooting six years earlier at an Indianapolis department store.

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