Ford v. Wainwright

Alvin Ford (defendant), condemned to death, developed severe paranoid schizophrenia in prison, including delusions that he could not be executed and that friends and family were held hostage inside the prison; one psychiatrist concluded he did not understand the connection between his death sentence and his crime. Under Florida's statutory procedure, the governor appointed three psychiatrists who each interviewed Ford once, reached different diagnoses, but agreed he understood the nature and effects of the death penalty; based on that, the governor signed Ford's death warrant. Ford's attorneys sought federal habeas relief challenging both his competency to be executed and the adequacy of Florida's procedure for determining it.