Editing Long Island Rail Road shooting (section)

====Early court appearances====
Anthony J. Falanga was appointed Ferguson's attorney on December 11, 1993. Falanga called for his client to receive a psychiatric evaluation. Under New York state law, an [[insanity defense]] would require Ferguson's lawyers to prove he suffered from a mental disease or defect and, as a result, could not tell whether his actions were right or wrong. At the time, lawyers and mental health experts said such a defense would be difficult because Ferguson appeared to have carefully planned the attacks, and because he said, "oh God, what did I do" after he was stopped. Media outlets and legal experts at the time speculated a defense could argue Ferguson suffered from [[paranoia]], particularly based on his history of irrational racism allegations and claims that whites were discriminating against him.<ref name="Rabinovitz1211" /> Ferguson was placed on suicide watch in the Nassau County Jail.<ref name="Rabinovitz1214">{{Cite news |last=Rabinovitz |first=Jonathan |title=Sadness and Hope for Family of Victims of Train Shooting |date=December 14, 1993 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/14/nyregion/sadness-and-hope-for-family-of-victims-of-train-shooting.html |url-access=limited |access-date=November 7, 2009}}</ref>

On December 18, 1993 Ferguson asked a judge to let him replace Falanga with Colin A. Moore, a Brooklyn-based attorney with a reputation for pursuing allegations of racism in the criminal justice system. Moore offered to represent Ferguson [[Pro bono publico|pro bono]]. Before a ruling was made on the request, Moore held a press conference announcing he would seek a change of venue to Brooklyn, claiming it was impossible for Ferguson to receive a fair trial in a Nassau court due to a "severe underrepresentation of African-Americans on the Nassau County jury panel."<ref name="Rabinovitz1218" /> Later, Moore withdrew his offer to represent Ferguson, citing conflicts he did not explain.<ref>{{cite news |last=Rabinovitz |first=Jonathan |title=Lawyer Snubs Suspect in Rail Shootings |work=The New York Times |date=January 8, 1994 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/08/nyregion/lawyer-snubs-suspect-in-rail-shootings.html |url-access=limited |access-date=November 7, 2009}}</ref> Ferguson told a judge he questioned Falanga's integrity, disagreed with his handling of the case and had no intention of cooperating with him.<ref name="Rabinovitz0108" /> Dr. Allen Reichman, a psychiatrist who interviewed Ferguson, indicated in his report that Ferguson may have been feigning mental illness when he spoke of conspiracies against him. Reichman said Ferguson's assertions were "vague and somewhat evasive," in contrast to the normally detailed and highly focused nature of systematized paranoid delusional thinking.<ref name="Marks0820">{{Cite news |last=Marks |first=Peter |title=Ferguson Collapses in Court After Scorning Insanity Plea |work=The New York Times |date=August 20, 1994 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/20/nyregion/ferguson-collapses-in-court-after-scorning-insanity-plea.html |url-access=limited |access-date=November 7, 2009}}</ref> On January 5, 1994, a report by a court-appointed psychologist and psychiatrist concluded Ferguson was suffering from [[paranoid personality disorder]] but was competent to stand trial.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rabinovitz |first=Jonathan |title=Judge Delays Ruling in L.I.R.R. Shooting Case |work=The New York Times |date=January 5, 1994 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/05/nyregion/judge-delays-ruling-in-lirr-shooting-case.html |url-access=limited |access-date=November 7, 2009}}</ref><ref name="Ewing">{{cite book |year=2006 |title=Minds on Trial: Great Cases in Law and Psychology |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |last1=Ewing |first1=Charles Patrick |last2=McCann |first2=Joseph T. |page=181 |isbn=978-0-19-518176-0}}</ref>