Brian D. Howard v. United States

Airman (Amn) Brian D. Howard’s central defense at trial was a lack of mental responsibility. His trial defense team offered significant evidence of his diagnosis of bipolar disorder and multiple examples of him experiencing a manic state and presenting with psychotic features, to include the alleged facts of the charged crimes. Despite this, the trial judge refused to instruct the jury on lack of mental responsibility. The question presented is: Did the trial judge’s refusal to instruct on the lack of mental responsibility defense violate petitioner’s Fifth Amendment right to due process?