Joseph E. Corcoran v. State of Indiana

Summary

The court denied authorization for two successive post-conviction petitions and denied the accompanying motions to stay the execution. It held that Corcoran’s previously adjudicated competency to waive post-conviction remedies, together with his renewed decision not to pursue litigation, prevented counsel from proceeding without his authorization. Independently, the court found no reasonable possibility of relief because the first petition was beyond the State Public Defender’s standing and procedurally defaulted, while the second lacked the required substantial threshold showing that Corcoran irrationally misunderstood the reason for his execution.