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Johnson v. Norton

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APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS [Hon. Douglas P. Woodlock, U.S. District Judge]

Prior to his appearance on the first day of a criminal trial in Massachusetts state court, petitioner- appellee Ronald Johnson was struck on the head by a fellow inmate. The court denied Johnson’s motion for a continuance and continued with jury selection. During a break in the proceedings, Johnson collapsed and the court suspended the trial so that Johnson could be treated. Johnson returned to trial on the second day and was convicted by a jury on the third. After exhausting his remedies in the state courts, Johnson filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in federal district court alleging that the trial court’s failure to hold a competency hearing sua sponte after he became ill violated his Fourteenth Amendment right to due process. The district court granted the writ, holding that the state court’s denial of Johnson’s motion for a new trial on the same grounds was an unreasonable application of Supreme Court precedent and was based on an unreasonable determination of the facts. Johnson v. Norton, No. 99-11249 (D. Mass. July 7, 2000). This appeal followed. We affirm the decision of the district court.

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