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Case No. S. Ct. Civ. No. 2015-0007 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS _____________________ IN RE: JUSTIN K. HOLCOMBE, ESQ., Appellant; PEOPLE OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS, Appellee/Plaintiff/Interested Party; v. RALPH EDWARDS TITRE, JR., Appellee/Defendant/Interested Party. _____________________ ON APPEAL FROM THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS DIVISION OF ST. THOMAS AND ST. JOHN Super. Ct. Crim. 488/2012 (STT) ________________________________________ BRIEF OF VIRGIN ISLANDS BAR ASSOCIATION (AMENDED) ________________________________________ Edward L. Barry V.I. Bar No. 834 Attorney for Virgin Islands Bar Association 2120 Company Street, Third Floor Christiansted, VI 00820 Tel. (340) 719-0601 Facsimile (340) 719-0602 Email [email protected] 08/11/2015

BRIEF OF AMICUS CURIAE VIRGIN ISLANDS BAR ......BRIEF OF AMICUS CURIAE VIRGIN ISLANDS BAR ASSOCIATION (AMENDED) _____ Edward L. Barry V.I. Bar No. 834 Attorney for Amicus Curiae Virgin

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Page 1: BRIEF OF AMICUS CURIAE VIRGIN ISLANDS BAR ......BRIEF OF AMICUS CURIAE VIRGIN ISLANDS BAR ASSOCIATION (AMENDED) _____ Edward L. Barry V.I. Bar No. 834 Attorney for Amicus Curiae Virgin

Case No. S. Ct. Civ. No. 2015-0007

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS

_____________________

IN RE: JUSTIN K. HOLCOMBE, ESQ., Appellant; PEOPLE OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS, Appellee/Plaintiff/Interested Party; v. RALPH EDWARDS TITRE, JR., Appellee/Defendant/Interested Party.

_____________________

ON APPEAL FROM THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS DIVISION OF ST. THOMAS AND ST. JOHN

Super. Ct. Crim. 488/2012 (STT)

________________________________________

BRIEF OF VIRGIN ISLANDS BAR ASSOCIATION

(AMENDED) ________________________________________

Edward L. Barry V.I. Bar No. 834 Attorney for Virgin Islands Bar Association 2120 Company Street, Third Floor Christiansted, VI 00820 Tel. (340) 719-0601 Facsimile (340) 719-0602 Email [email protected]

08/11/2015

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

TABLE OF AUTHORITIES ......................................................................................... iii STATEMENT OF JURISDICTION.............................................................................. Adopted1 ISSUES PRESENTED FOR REVIEW ......................................................................... STANDARD OF REVIEW ........................................................................................... STATEMENT OF RELATED CASES ......................................................................... STATEMENT OF THE CASE ...................................................................................... STATEMENT OF THE FACTS ................................................................................... ARGUMENT ................................................................................................................. 1

1. THE CONSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK .................................................. 1 2. THE STATUTORY FRAMEWORK .............................................................. 2 3. THE COURT RULE FRAMEWORK ............................................................ 3

a. VISCR 210.1: Supreme Court Appellate Appointments ........................ 3 b. Lawyer’s Duty to Accept Appointments, Sanctions for Refusal ............ 4 c. Rule Proposed by Virgin Islands Bar Association .................................. 5

4. CORE REQUIREMENTS OF SECTION 3503 ............................................. 7 5. THE STATUTORY REQUIREMENT OF A “PANEL” ............................... 8

a. “Panel” Means Select Subset of Attorneys ............................................. 8 b. Panel Means Attorneys with Criminal Law Expertise ........................... 9

1 Virgin Islands Bar Association adopts and incorporates, to the extent

necessary and appropriate herein, the following from the Brief of Appellant Holcombe: Statement of Jurisdiction, Issues Presented for Review, Standard of Review, Statement of Related Cases, Statement of the Case, and Statement of the Facts.

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Table of Contents (continued) c. Requirement of Adequate Criminal Defense is Mandatory, Not Aspirational .......................................................................................... 10

d. Adequate Criminal Defense Requires Special Knowledge and Skill ..... 11 e. Harm to Accused from Bad Lawyering at Trial May Be Irremediable .. 13 f. Unqualified Appointed Counsel Face Ethical Quandary ........................ 15

g. Panel System Promotes Quality of Criminal Defense ............................ 16 h. Voluntary Panel System Promotes Lawyers’ Workload Management, Basic Financial Interests, Quality of Life ............................ 17

6. LIMITATIONS ON APPROPRIATION OF ATTORNEY SERVICES ....... 20 7. SUPERIOR COURT MUST ADMINISTER MANDATORY APPOINTMENTS IN A CONSISTENT, EQUITABLE AND NON-ARBITRARY MANNER .......................................................................... 21

8. MOOTNESS, JUSTICIABILITY, SUPERVISORY JURISDICTION .......... 24 9. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................... 26

Certificate of Bar Membership ...................................................................................... 28 Certificate of Service ..................................................................................................... 28

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TABLE OF AUTHORITIES

Page

UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION

Article III, U.S.C.A. Const. Art. 3, § 2, cl. 1 ............................................24

Fifth Amendment (Takings Clause), U.S.C.A. Const. Amend. 5 .............22; , n.18

Sixth Amendment, U.S.C.A. Const. Amend. 6 .........................................

FEDERAL STATUTES

Criminal Justice Act of 1964, 18 U.S.C.A. § 3006A(b) ...........................9

Criminal Justice Act of 1964, 18 U.S.C. § 3006A(d)(1)...........................11, n.11

Organic Act of 1954, 48 U.S.C. § 1561 ....................................................2, n.1

FEDERAL RULES

Fed.R.Ev. 201(b)(1) ..................................................................................12, n.12

Fed.R.Crim.P. 52(b) ..................................................................................14

VIRGIN ISLANDS STATUTES

Virgin Islands Code of 1921, Chapter 6, Section 3 ½ ( ) ...........2, n.2

4 V.I.C. § 21 ..............................................................................................1

4 V.I.C. § 281 ............................................................................................4

5 V.I.C. § 423 ............................................................................................25

5 V.I.C. § 2505 ..........................................................................................3, n.3

5 V.I.C. § 2505(a) .....................................................................................20, n.18

5 V.I.C. § 2505(b) .....................................................................................20, n.18

5 V.I.C. § 3503 ..........................................................................................

VIRGIN ISLANDS COURT RULES

VISCR 203(p) ( , Prom. Ord. 2014-0006) ...................................4; 16, n.16; 26

VISCR 210 ................................................................................................4

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Table of Authorities (Continued) Page

VISCR 210.1 .............................................................................................3, 4, 9, 10

VISCR 210.3 .............................................................................................4, n.4; 10 VISCR 211 (adopting ABA Model Rules of Professional Responsibility as the “Virgin Islands Rules of Professional Responsibility”) ........................................................................................10, n.9

VISCR 211.1.1 (Model Rule 1.1 and ABA Comments)....................10, n.9; 11; 15 VISCR 211.1.3 (Model Rule 1.3 and ABA Comments)....................17

VISCR 211.6.1 (Model Rule 6.1) ......................................................19

VISCR 211.6.2 (Model Rule 6.2 and ABA Comments)....................4, 15, 20

Territorial/Superior Court Rule 303(p) ( by former VISCR 203(p)) ..............................................................................4; 16, n.16

FEDERAL CASES

, 489 U.S. 546, 557, 109 S. Ct. 1294, 1302, 103 L. Ed. 2d 559 (1989) ................................................................24, n.21

, 375 U.S. 52, 54, 84 S.Ct. 21, 22, 11 L.Ed.2d 11 (1963) ( ) ...........................................................26

, 273 F.3d 527, 533 (3d Cir. 2001) .....................................................................................25

, 414 U.S. 141, 146, 94 S.Ct. 396, 400, 38 L.Ed.2d 368 (1973) ..............................................................................26

, 552 U.S. 264, 289, 128 S. Ct. 1029, 1046, 169 L. Ed. 2d 859 (2008) ................................................................26

, 342 U.S. 421, 424-25, 72 S. Ct. 405, 408, 96 L. Ed. 469 (1952) ..................................................7

533 U.S. 167, 174, 121 S.Ct. 2120, 150 L.Ed.2d 251 (2001) ............................................................................8 .

, 725 F.2d 695, 705 (D.C. Cir. 1984) ..........................................22, n.19

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Table of Authorities (Continued) Page

, 372 U.S. 335, 83 S.Ct. 792, 9 L.Ed. 799 (1963) ....................................................................................1; 2, n.2; 9; 17

338 F.3d 224, 229-30 (3d Cir. 2003) ..................................25

, 815 F.2d 912,

914–16 (3d Cir.1987) ................................................................................25

, 490 U.S. 296, 310, 109 S. Ct. 1814, 1823, 104 L. Ed. 2d 318 (1989) .............................19

318 U.S. 332, 340, 63 S.Ct. 608, 612, 87 L.Ed. 819 (1943) ..........................................................................26

, 194 U.S. 267, 270, 24 S. Ct. 638, 639, 48 L. Ed. 971 (1904) (Holmes, J.)..............................7

, 287 U.S. 45, 53 S.Ct. 55, 77 L.Ed. 158 (1932) ..................................................................................1; 2, n.2; 10; 20

, 508 F.3d 887, 892 (9th Cir. 2007) .............................................................22, n.19

, 466 U.S. 668, 688, 104 S. Ct. 2052, 2065, 80 L. Ed. 2d 674 (1984) .......................................1, 10, 15

, 534 U.S. 19, 31, 122 S. Ct. 441, 449, 151 L. Ed. 2d 339 (2001) ..........................................................................8

, 842 F.2d 1408, 1413 (3d Cir. 1988) ..............20

, 328 U.S. 303, 319, 66 S. Ct. 1073, 1080, 90 L. Ed. 1252 (1946) (Frankfurter, J., concurring) .......................7

, 154 F.3d 581, 589 (6th Cir. 1998) .........................14

, 507 U.S. 725, 734, 113 S. Ct. 1770, 1778, 123 L. Ed. 2d 508 (1993) .....................................14

, No. CV 2013-048, 2015 WL 127852, at *4 (D.V.I. Jan. 8, 2015)...........................................6, n.6

, 539 U.S. 510, 521, 123 S. Ct. 2527, 2535, 156 L. Ed. 2d 471 (2003) ..........................................................................10

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Table of Authorities (Continued)

Page VIRGIN ISLANDS CASES

, 56 V.I. 558, 564 (V.I.2012) ................24-25

, No. S.CT.CIV. 2014-0066, –––V.I. ––––, 2014 WL 5409110, at *23 (V.I. Oct. 24, 2014) ................24

, 52 V.I. 381, 390 (V.I. 2009) .......................................14

, No. S.CT.CIV. 2014-0071, –––V.I. ––––, 2014 WL 6750660, at *3 (V.I. Dec. 1, 2014) ...........................................25

, 49 V.I. 452, 468 (V.I.2008) ..........................8

, 439 F.2d 47, 50–51 (3rd Cir. 1971) .....................................2, n.1

60 V.I. 654, 2014 WL 807875, at *4, n.8 (V.I.2014 6, n.5

., No. 31/1996, 2005 WL 3178027, at *6 (V.I. Super. Sept. 20, 2005).............................................................6, n.5; 24

, 60 V.I. 269, 281 n.7 (V.I. 2013) ................................................................9-10

, 55 V.I. 660, 667 (V.I. 2011) .....................................14

, 56 V.I. 718, 2012 WL 2053537, at *4 (V.I. 2012) ........................................................................................14

, 55 V.I. 919, 926 (V.I. 2011) ................................8

, 56 V.I. 754, 2012 WL 2288434, at *2 (V.I. 2012) ........................................................14-15

54 V.I. 485, 489 n.1 (V.I.2010) ...............................25 STATE CASES

, 813 S.W.2d 770, 775 (Ark. 1991) ..................................22, n.19

, 447 P.2d 193, 195 (Utah 1968) ........................................................................................22, n.19

, 568 P.2d 1269, 1272 (Okla. 1977) ......................................22, n.19

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Table of Authorities (Continued) Page

, 487 S.W.2d 294, 298 (Ky. 1972).................................22, n.19

, 92 Nev. 582, 587, 555 P.2d 490, 493 (1976) .................................................................................................23, n.19

., 740 P.2d 437, 440-41 (Alaska 1987) .........22, n.19

, 430 Pa. Super. 551, 561, 635 A.2d 186, 191 (1993) ........11

, 429 Mass. 410, 424, 709 N.E.2d 784, 793-94 (1999) ............................................................................................11

38 Mich. App. 138, 139, 195 N.W.2d 787, 788 (1972) ....................................................................4

209 W. Va. 639, 643, 550 S.E.2d 617, 621 (2001) ......................................................................11, n.11

, 760 N.E.2d 156, 163-64 (Ind. 2001) .............................22, n.19

118 N.H. 764, 768, 394 A.2d 834, 837 (1978) .................4

, 159 W. Va. 805, 821, 227 S.E.2d 314, 323 (1976) ......................................................................15; 21, n.18

, 242 Kan. 336, 747 P.2d 816 (1987) ..................................................................................12; 22, n.19

, 185 Ariz. 1, 3, 912 P.2d 5, 7 (1996) ......................12, 21-22

SECONDARY AUTHORITIES

36 A.L.R.3d 1221 (Originally published in 1971) ....................................4 ABA Comm. on Ethics and Prof'l Responsibility,

06-441 (2006) ........................................................................15 ABA 10 Principles of a Public Defense Delivery System, Principle 2, 21 ABA 10 Principles of a Public Defense Delivery System, Principle 6, ........................................................................................15, 16, 17 17 Am. Jur. 2d, Contempt § 67 .................................................................4

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Table of Authorities (Continued) Page

Appendix II, PLAN FOR THE COMPOSITION, ADMINISTRA- TION, AND MANAGEMENT OF THE PANEL OF PRIVATE ATTORNEYS UNDER THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE ACT .....................17, n.17

Deborah L. Rhode, Balanced Lives for Lawyers, 70 Fordham L. Rev. 2207, 2210 (2002) ....................................................19

Donald A. Dripps, Up from Gideon, 45 Tex. Tech L. Rev. 113, 132, n. 46 (2012) .......................................................................................13

Emily M. West, Court Findings of Ineffective Assistance of Counsel Claims in Post-Conviction Appeals, Innocence Project 1 (Sept. 2010) ....13

, American Bar Association Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants (December 2004) ........................13

Judicial Conference of the United States, Vol. 7A, Appx. 2B ....................................................................................9 Heidi M. Hurd, What in the World Is Wrong?, 1994 J. Contemp. Legal Issues 157, 169 (1994) .......................................15, n.15 Lawrence R. Richard, Workaholic Lawyers, Psychological Type and Job Satisfaction (Etc.) 29 Cap. U. L. Rev. 979, 1078 (2002) ............19-20 Manuel R. Ramos, Legal Malpractice: The Profession's Dirty Little Secret, 47 Vand. L. Rev. 1657, 1718 (1994) ...................................18 Mary Ann Glendon, Philosophical Foundations of the Federalist Papers: Nature of Man and Nature of Law, 16 Harv. J.L. & Pub. Pol. 23 (1993) .........................................................23, n.20 NLADA Performance Guidelines for Criminal Defense Representation, Guideline 1.3(a)...............................................................15

OTHER CITED REFERENCES

2014 State of the Judiciary (Hodge, C.J.), U. S. Virgin Islands Court & Judiciary System, Annual Report ..................................12 Locke, (1690) ................23

(online) 8; , n.7

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Table of Authorities (Continued) Page

New York .......................................................................................13, n.14

Online Etymology Dictionary ...................................................................8, n.7

W. Va. Code §§ 29–21–1, ..............................................................11, n.11

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Page 37: BRIEF OF AMICUS CURIAE VIRGIN ISLANDS BAR ......BRIEF OF AMICUS CURIAE VIRGIN ISLANDS BAR ASSOCIATION (AMENDED) _____ Edward L. Barry V.I. Bar No. 834 Attorney for Amicus Curiae Virgin

The Bar has struggled with the problems in the indigent appointment system for many

years, but has lacked the power to do anything more than recommend reform. This Court, by

contrast, has full authority to solve these problems. This Court has an opportunity to substantially

improve the administration of the criminal justice system in this Territory.

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED August, 2015.

E ward L. Barry Attorney for Virgin Island Association, Amicus Curiae 2120 Company Street Third Floor Tel. 340.719-0601 Facsimile 340.719-0602 [email protected]

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Page 38: BRIEF OF AMICUS CURIAE VIRGIN ISLANDS BAR ......BRIEF OF AMICUS CURIAE VIRGIN ISLANDS BAR ASSOCIATION (AMENDED) _____ Edward L. Barry V.I. Bar No. 834 Attorney for Amicus Curiae Virgin

Certificate of Bar Membership

The undersigned certifies that he is a member in good standing of the Bar of this Court (V.I. Bar No. 834).

Certificate of Service The undersigned certifies that on ¢ , he shall cause two copies of the

foregoing Amicus Brief (amended), to be sent by States Postal Service, postage prepaid, to:

Justin K. Holcombe (V.1. Bar #957), Esq., prose Law House 1000 Frederiksberg Gade, P.O. Box 756 Charlotte Amalie St. Thomas, VJ. 00804 Telephone: (340) 774-4422 Facsimile: (340) 715-4400

Paul L. Gimenez, Esq. General Counsel Superior Court of the Virgin Islands P.O. Box 70 St. Thomas, VI 00804 Telephone: (340) 693-6423 Facsimile: (340) 693-6458

Amalie Parrott, Esq. Assistant Attorney General Department of Justice 34-38 Kongens Gade St.: Thomas, VI 00802

Mr. Ralph Edwards Titre, Jr. 16324 Hard Labor St. John, VI 00830

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08/11/2015