United States v. Taylor, No. 20-3158 (3d Cir. 2021)
Annotate this Case
Taylor, on probation, was found to be in possession of drugs, a firearm, and cash, and moved to suppress the evidence. Before the scheduled hearing, his court-appointed lawyer (Carey) moved to withdraw because Taylor would not permit him to withdraw pro se motions in which Taylor refused to “accept that the laws of the United States govern him.” Taylor contended that “the United States is not a country. It is a corporation.” The court denied Carey’s motion Taylor filed more documents. Carey again moved to withdraw, explaining that Taylor “desires to proceed pro se.” Carey acknowledged substantial concerns about Taylor’s legal competency.” Taylor acknowledged that he “d[id not] understand law” and requested that the court “deal with [him] commonly.” The court stated that his pro se filings were rambling and not founded on any legal principles. Taylor repeatedly attempted to challenge the jurisdiction of the court.
The court denied his request to represent himself, denied his motion to suppress, and, later (twice) appointed new counsel. Taylor was convicted and sentenced to 264 months’ imprisonment. The Third Circuit vacated. The Sixth Amendment guarantees a criminal defendant the right to self-representation if he “knowingly and intelligently” waives his right to counsel. When Taylor invoked that right, the district court bore “the weighty responsibility of conducting a sufficiently penetrating inquiry to satisfy itself that” Taylor could make such a waiver. The court did not complete the requisite inquiry.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.