Opinion ID: 1058311
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 21

Heading: Capital Sentencing Rights to Due Process and Confrontation

Text: The defendant argues that Tennessee's capital sentencing scheme violates his rights to due process and confrontation under the United States Constitution because the rules of evidence do not apply and the jury is permitted to hear evidence that is not reliable and trustworthy. See Tenn.Code Ann. § 39-13-204(c) (rules of evidence not applicable during penalty phase). The State responds that the defendant's argument is without merit. We have recently rejected the argument raised by the defendant. In Berry , we observed that under Tennessee Code Annotated section 39-13-204(c), evidence that is relevant to the circumstances of the murder, the aggravating circumstances relied upon by the State, or the mitigating circumstances is admissible if such evidence has probative value in the determination of punishment. Berry, 141 S.W.3d at 563-64. Although the statute gives wider discretion to the trial court than normally permitted under the Tennessee Rules of Evidence, we explained: [T]he discretion allowed judges and attorneys during sentencing in first degree murder cases is not unfettered. Our constitutional standards require inquiry into the reliability, relevance, value, and prejudicial effect of sentencing evidence to preserve fundamental fairness and protect the rights of both the defendant and the victim's family. The rules of evidence can in some instances be helpful guides in reaching these determinations of admissibility. Trial judges are not, however, required to adhere strictly to the rules of evidence. These rules are too restrictive and unwieldy in the arena of capital sentencing. Id. (quoting State v. Sims, 45 S.W.3d 1, 14 (Tenn.2001)). Accordingly, the standards set forth in Tennessee Code Annotated section 39-13-204(c) allow trial courts to exclude evidence that may violate the constitutional guarantees of due process or confrontation. The defendant's argument, therefore, is without merit.