[1] Ernest Valencia Gonzales was convicted in Arizona of felony murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault, first-degree burglary and theft.

Gonzales was sentenced to death for the stabbing of Darrel Wagner in front of his seven-year-old son.

After exhausting appeals in Arizona, Gonzales filed for a writ of habeas corpus in District Court on November 15, 1999.

The Court found that neither a statutory or a constitutional right exists to a petitioners competence in federal habeas corpus proceedings.

Simply put because communication between counsel and defendant is unnecessary in these proceedings the district court cannot stay them.