Opinion ID: 1774223
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Effect of Failure to Move to Suppress

Text: The State correctly asserts the general rule that a failure to object, upon trial, to the legality of an arrest, waives the right to rely upon it on appeal. It is the State's insistence that petitioner's claim should have been asserted by a motion to suppress. Without doubt it would have been better to have moved to suppress or to have objected to the testimony when offered at trial. We cannot say, however, that the illegality of an arrest and an ensuing search may not be asserted by appropriate motions made in advance of trial. The test must be whether the issue was fairly raised, or phrasing it another way, whether the trial judge was fairly apprised of petitioner's objection or given a reasonable opportunity to consider the matter. See Dotson v. State, 2 Tenn.Cr.App. 388, 454 S.W.2d 174 (1970). It would be manifestly unjust to apply the waiver rule in this case where the petitioner, in advance of trial, fairly apprised the Court of the substance of his objection to the testimony and where on motion for a new trial the Court was again apprised of the petitioner's contentions. Making a motion to suppress or objecting to the testimony after the trial judge had overruled petitioner's motion and held that there was probable cause for the arrest, would have been an idle ceremony and a useless gesture. The courts do not demand that counsel engage in futile efforts. The trial judge had ruled; the question had been resolved; there was nothing left to decide. Further effort would have been argumentative, repetitious and foredoomed to certain failure. Moreover, we deal with an error of constitutional proportions. No freedom is more deeply entrenched in Anglo-Saxon jurisprudence than that of freedom from unlawful searches and seizures. When it appears in the record of any criminal case that this constitutional guarantee has been ignored, it becomes the duty of the reviewing court to heed the mandate of § 40-3409, T.C.A. by render[ing] such judgment on the record as the law demands.