Justices Bring Court To Cumberland University

  • Tuesday, September 22, 2015

The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in three criminal cases in front of more than 1,000 Middle Tennessee high school and college students when it brings court to Cumberland University in Lebanon Sept. 30. 

The program is called SCALES – Supreme Court Advancing Legal Education for Students – and it’s celebrating its 20th year in 2015. The Court has helped tens of thousands of high school and college students gain a greater understanding of the legal system by partnering attorneys, teachers, and students to follow the cases at the appellate court. 

“We’re so thankful for the support of Cumberland University, the local and legal communities, and the educators that have made this happen,” Chief Justice Sharon Lee said. “The judicial branch of government plays an important, albeit sometimes understated, role in everyday life. The decisions our courts make have far-reaching effects on our citizens and we treasure the opportunity to give these students some first-hand experience.” 

The campus of Cumberland University will serve as host to the 1,500 students and teachers that will participate. Cumberland counts among its alumni Supreme Court of the United States justices Howell Edmunds Jackson and Horace Harmon Lurton. 

“For many this is a unique opportunity to hear a case before the Tennessee Supreme Court.” said Dr. C. William McKee, vice president for Academic Affairs. “We are excited to welcome the Court and high school students to our beautiful campus as well as have our own students participate in this special occasion.” 

The cases the Court and students will hear at Cumberland University are: 

State v. Linzey Danielle Smith – This is an appeal from a DUI conviction. Ms. Smith pled guilty to driving under the influence, but reserved the right to appeal on the question of whether or not her traffic stop was proper. The officer stated he stopped her vehicle because Ms. Smith violated a law that states “a vehicle shall be driven as nearly as practicable entirely within a single lane.” The court will consider whether the traffic stop violated Ms. Smith's constitutional rights in light of the circumstances surrounding the stop, which included driving on a winding and sloping portion of roadway. 

State v. Corrin Kathleen Reynolds – This case stems from a single-vehicle accident in which two passengers in Ms. Reynolds’s car were killed. At the hospital following the accident, a sample of Ms. Reynolds’s blood was drawn, but she maintains she did not consent to have the blood drawn, thereby possibly making any blood-test results inadmissible in court. The Court will consider whether the State of Tennessee should adopt a good-faith exception to the rule that says evidence obtained in violation of the law cannot be used against a defendant, and if so, whether that exception would apply in this case. The Court also will consider whether Tennessee’s implied consent law authorizes a warrantless blood draw of anyone driving a vehicle in Tennessee. The implied consent law permits law enforcement officers to have blood drawn whenever there is probable cause to believe that a driver has driven under the influence. 

Pervis Tyrone Payne v. State – This is a death penalty case in which Mr. Payne argues that his sentence should be reconsidered because he has an intellectual disability that was not properly considered at trial. Mr. Payne petitioned for a writ of error coram nobis, a rare and rarely granted petition that allows a case to be reconsidered in light of new information that the petitioner says was not available at trial and was not previously a subject of an appeal. Mr. Payne’s motion was denied at the trial court and the Court of Criminal Appeals. The Supreme Court will consider what the appropriate remedy is for circumstances such as Mr. Payne’s, and whether other recent rulings in death penalty cases concerning the intellectual disability of defendants has any bearing on Mr. Payne’s case. 

Schools that will be participating in SCALES:

Cumberland University
Antioch High School
Beech High School
Cane Ridge High School
Cannon County High School
Clay County High School
Coffee Central High School
DeKalb County High School
Friendship Christian Academy
Gallatin High School
Hendersonville High School
Lebanon High School
Lighthouse Christian High School
Macon County High School
McClain Christian Academy
McGavock High School
Mt. Juliet High School
Portland High School
Siegel High School
Smith County High School
Station Camp High School
Watertown High School
White House High School
Wilson Central High School

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