News
September 28, 1998
The torture and murder of a Memphis mother in the presence of her children was “especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel,” the Tennessee Supreme Court said Monday in a ruling upholding the conviction and death sentence Clarence C. Nesbit received for the 1993 crime.In a 3-1 decision, the court found…
October 5, 1998
The Tennessee Supreme Court has unanimously upheld the conviction and death sentence of Christa Gail Pike for the 1995 Knoxville murder of a 19-year-old Job Corps student who was kicked, stabbed, slashed and beaten as she begged for her life and struggled to escape.Also, in an order filed Monday,…
October 9, 1998
In an open selection process, the Tennessee Supreme Court will accept applications through Nov. 30 from attorneys interested in becoming the state’s next attorney general, Chief Justice Riley Anderson said Friday.“The court would encourage attorneys from across the state to apply,” Anderson said. “…
October 12, 1998
The public is invited to a reception for the Tennessee Supreme Court from 5-6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, at the Montgomery County Civic Center.The reception, sponsored by the Montgomery and Robertson County Bar Associations, is being held in conjunction with the Supreme Court SCALES Program for more…
October 12, 1998
Municipal and General Sessions Court judges without law licenses are constitutionally prohibited in Tennessee from presiding over criminal cases without the defendants' approval, the state SupremeCourt said Monday.The 4-1 Supreme Court decision, written for the majority by Justice Frank Drowota,…
November 5, 1998
The jury’s sentence of death for a Memphis man convicted of killing an unarmed teenager was unanimously upheld Monday by the Tennessee Supreme Court.Kevin Burns received a death sentence for the 1992 murder of 17-year-old Damond Dawson and was sentenced to life in prison for killing 20-year-old…
November 16, 1998
The public is entitled by law to view and obtain copies of most state government documents, including computerized records regardless of format, the Tennessee Supreme Court said Monday in a decision stemming from a lawsuit filed by a newspaper.“Our review is governed solely by the language in the…
November 23, 1998
A capital case defendant who plans to use expert mental health testimony in an effort to avoid the death penalty must file a pretrial notice of intent and may be ordered to undergo a separate psychological evaluation by the prosecution’s specialist, the Tennessee Supreme Court said Monday.In a…
December 15, 1998
Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Paul Summers of Somerville was selected Thursday by the Tennessee Supreme Court to succeed state Attorney General John Knox Walkup, who announced in August he would not seek reappointment to the office.Under the Tennessee Constitution, the state’s chief legal officer…
December 30, 1998
Chief Justice E. Riley Anderson of the Tennessee Supreme Court will administer the oath of office to Paul Summers as the state’s 25th attorney general at 1:30 p.m. Jan. 8 in a public ceremony at the War Memorial Building in Nashville.Summers, 48, of Somerville was named by the Supreme Court Dec. 10…
January 4, 1999
The Tennessee Supreme Court has denied an appeal by death row inmate Olen Eddie Hutchison, convicted of conspiring to murder his victim to collect $800,000 in life insurance and other benefits.A Campbell County jury convicted Hutchison in 1991 of first degree murder, conspiracy to take a life and…
January 11, 1999
Charles Ferrell, director of Tennessee’s Administrative Office of the Courts, announced Monday he will resign effective April 30.“There never is an ideal time to make such a decision, but after much thought and discussion with my family and friends, I have concluded that I want to leave government…
January 25, 1999
A death row inmate who killed his wife and her two teenage sons has no constitutional grounds on which to appeal his convictions and three death sentences, the Tennessee Supreme Court said Monday in an order setting a May 17 execution date.Oscar Franklin Smith claimed in a petition filed with the…
January 1, 1999
A retired Tennessee State University English professor has become the first non-lawyer vice chair of the state Board of Professional Responsibility which investigates complaints against attorneys and disciplines those who violate professional codes of conduct.McDonald Williams of Nashville is the…
February 10, 1999
Elizabeth (Libby) Sykes, former director of the Tennessee Sentencing Commission, has been named by the state Supreme Court to serve as interim director of the Administrative Office of the Courts. Sykes, of Clarksville, also will continue her duties as the AOC’s director of statistical services,…
March 9, 1999
More than 800 students from 17 public and private high schools in Benton, Carroll, Decatur, Hardin and Henry counties will participate April 14-15 in a program developed by the state Supreme Court to educate young Tennesseans about the judicial branch of government.The students and their teachers…
March 15, 1999
The Tennessee Supreme Court has denied the third and final post-conviction appeal by Robert Glen Coe, sentenced to death for the 1979 kidnaping, rape and murder of 8-year-old Cary Ann Medlin of Greenfield. The court also set a June 15 execution date for Coe, whose only remaining federal appeal is…
May 11, 1999
In an order filed Monday, the Tennessee Supreme Court rejected a petition to appeal filed by death row inmate Michael Angelo Coleman whose victim was shot to death during a 1979 Memphis robbery.Coleman, 42, was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of 69-year-old Leon Watson. The victim…
May 10, 1999
Circuit Court Judge Cornelia Clark of Franklin was selected Tuesday by the Tennessee Supreme Court as the state’s new administrative director of the courts. Clark was chosen from among 62 applicants for the position.“We had an exceptional pool of applicants and the three finalists were outstanding…
May 17, 1999
The death sentence a Sullivan County jury imposed for a 1984 murder committed during a country store robbery is constitutionally valid, the Tennessee Supreme Court held Monday, rejecting an appeal by inmate Leonard Edward Smith and affirming the penalty.“We have considered the defendant’s…