In Re Quester Sterling-Suarez

BOUDIN, Chief Judge.

In April 2002, Quester Sterling-Suarez was indicted for federal crimes stemming from his alleged involvement in an armed car robbery in which one of the guards was killed. One of the charges permits the death penalty. See 18 U.S.C. § 924(j) (2000). He asked that “learned counsel” be appointed pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3005 (2000); the statute specifies that two counsel, one of whom “shall be learned in the law applicable to capital cases,” must at the defendant’s request be appointed “promptly.” The district court declined the request, ruling that appointment of learned…