The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear three cases on November 8, 2017, in Jackson, TN. The details of the cases are as follows:
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
Drayton Beecher Smith II v. Board of Professional Responsibility - This matter is an appeal of a proceeding in which an attorney sought reinstatement from disbarment. After being denied reinstatement before a hearing panel, the chancery court reversed the judgment and determined that the attorney should be reinstated. The Board of Professional Responsibility now appeals. The issues for consideration are whether the chancery court had subject matter jurisdiction to consider the case, whether post-judgment facts should be considered, and whether the chancery court erred in overturning the hearing panel’s judgment.
State of Tennessee v. Christopher Minor - This case considers whether a defendant’s convictions for multiple counts of violation of the Gang Enhancement Statute should be overturned as unconstitutional. The Court has further requested that the parties brief and argue the effect of Henderson v. United States, 568 U.S. 266 (2013), on the plain error analysis in this case.
State of Tennessee v. Janet Michelle Stanfield, et al. - This case considers whether a trial court properly suppressed evidence seized as a result of a warrantless search of the defendants’ home, resulting in dismissal of the case against the defendants. Two of the issues before the Court involve the expectation of privacy in a dwelling for probationers and parolees. The two remaining issues consider the required corroboration of a confidential criminal informant’s tip as well as what establishes a “legitimate law enforcement” concern for warrantless searches of parolees.
Media members planning to attend oral arguments should review Supreme Court Rule 30 and file any required request.