Haas v. Abrahamson

1990

Court: Federal Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit

Facts: Haas kills Stanlick and almost kills Risch.

Posture: Convicted at trial, affirmed on appeal. Federal district court denies his appeal.

Issue: Is excluding psychological testimony on the basis of relevance or competency violative of due process?

Holding: Affirmed; Wisconsin's standards are reasonable.

Rule: Intent is different from insanity. You can be crazy and still intend to do stuff.

Reasoning: Wisconsin is saved by bifurcated process: determination of guilt and determination of sanity are separate.

Dicta: