Supreme Court decides Sell v. United States, setting the involuntary-medication test

The Supreme Court decided Sell v. United States, 539 U.S. 166, establishing a four-part constitutional test for when the government may forcibly medicate a mentally ill defendant to restore competency to stand trial. The Court held that involuntary medication is permissible only when an important government interest is at stake, the treatment is substantially likely to restore competency without side effects that interfere with the defense, less intrusive alternatives have been considered, and medication is medically appropriate. Charles Sell, a St. Louis dentist charged with Medicaid fraud, had been found incompetent and held for years in a federal medical facility while the government sought to medicate him against his will.