Federally Funded Counsel Appointed for Seeking to Vacate Death Sentence Shall Represent Throughout Judicial Proceedings

Section 3599(a)(2) of title 18, United States Code, provides: In any post conviction proceeding under section 2254 or 2255 of title 28, United States Code, seeking to vacate or set aside a death sentence, any defendant who is or becomes financially unable to obtain adequate representation or investigative, expert, or other reasonably necessary services shall be entitled to the appointment of one or more attorneys and the furnishing of such other services in accordance with subsections (b) through (f). Section 3599(e) states: Unless replaced by similarly qualified counsel upon the attorney's own motion or upon motion of the defendant, each attorney so appointed shall represent the defendant throughout every subsequent stage of available judicial proceedings, including pretrial proceedings, trial, sentencing, motions for new trial, appeals, applications for writ of certiorari to the Supreme Court of the United States, and all available post-conviction process, together with applications for stays of execution and other appropriate motions and procedures, and shall also represent the defendant in such competency proceedings and proceedings for executive or other clemency as may be available to the defendant. In Harbison v. Bell, 129 S. Ct. 1481, 173 L. Ed. 2d 347 (2009), the United States Supreme Court provided that under a straightforward reading of [ 3599], subsection (a)(2) triggers the appointment of counsel for habeas petitioners, and subsection (e) governs the scope of appointed counsel's duties. See 3599(a)(2) (stating that habeas petitioners challenging a death sentence shall be entitled to "the furnishing of . . . services in accordance with subsections (b) through (f)"). Thus, once federally funded counsel is appointed to represent a state prisoner in 2254 proceedings, she "shall also represent the defendant in such . . . proceedings for executive or other clemency as may be available to the defendant. 3599(e). Harbison, 129 S. Ct. at 1486.