Scott Panetti v. Lorie Davis, Director

PATRICK E. HIGGINBOTHAM, Circuit Judge:

Our question today is competency to be executed and its attending procedures, not the validity of the conviction or sentence. We stayed execution to consider. Scott Panetti’s appeal from the denial of appointed counsel and funding to hire a mental health expert and investigator. We will now reverse the district court’s denial of appointed counsel and expert funding under 18 U.S.C. § 3599, vacate its factual findings relating to Panetti’s competency, and remand for additional proceedings, another chapter in this judicial plunge into the dark fprest of…