Opinion ID: 1570872
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Is Mississippi Code Section 99-19-81 unconstitutional because mandatory sentencing violates the Supremacy Clause, the Separation of Powers Doctrine, and the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution?

Text: ¶ 12. Johnson's arguments under this issue are procedurally barred, as he did not raise them at the sentencing phase. This Court's general policy is that `errors raised for the first time on appeal will not be considered, especially where constitutional questions are concerned.' Powers v. Tiebauer, 939 So.2d 749, 752 (Miss.2005) (citing Stockstill v. State, 854 So.2d 1017, 1023 (Miss.2003)). Notwithstanding the procedural bar, these arguments fail.