Opinion ID: 1058329
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Plenary Versus Plain Error Review

Text: The defendants did not raise this constitutional challenge at their April 4, 2002, sentencing hearing or in their motions for new trial, nor did they raise it in the Court of Criminal Appeals. The defendants first raised this constitutional challenge in this Court. [12] The State initially argues that, by failing to raise this issue in the courts below, the defendants have forfeited plenary appellate review and are now limited to seeking relief via plain error review. The defendants counter that Blakely , decided on June 24, 2004, announced a new rule and that they mounted their constitutional challenge as soon as possible after Blakely was decided. [13] The defendants maintain that penalizing them for failing to raise the constitutional issue sooner would be inappropriate in light of this Court's decision in Graham v. State, 90 S.W.3d 687 (Tenn.2002). In Graham, we rejected a constitutional challenge similar to the one now under consideration, holding that the Sixth Amendment does not preclude trial judges from finding enhancement factors by a preponderance of the evidence and from considering such factors when selecting the appropriate sentence within a statutory range. Id. at 692. The defendants contend that because Graham had rejected such a constitutional challenge, their failure to raise earlier and preserve properly the constitutional challenge they now bring is excusable. However, we find each of the defendants' arguments unpersuasive and conclude that plain error review applies to their Sixth Amendment challenge. First, we are of the opinion that Blakely did not announce a new rule. Admittedly, the United States Supreme Court has not squarely addressed this issue. However, the Court has suggested that Blakely was applying a previously recognized principle of law, rather than announcing a new rule. For example, in United States v. Booker, ___ U.S. ___, 125 S.Ct. 738, 160 L.Ed.2d 621 (2005), the Court at the outset refers to our Apprendi line of cases, making it clear that Apprendi , not Blakely , established the operative rule of law. Booker, 125 S.Ct. at 747. Furthermore, the Court in Booker expressly confirmed that the result which the majority reached in Blakely had been dictated by precedent, stating, [f]or reasons explained in Jones v. [ United States, 526 U.S. 227, 119 S.Ct. 1215, 143 L.Ed.2d 311 (1999)], Apprendi , and Ring v. [ Arizona, 536 U.S. 584, 122 S.Ct. 2428, 153 L.Ed.2d 556 (2002)], the requirements of the Sixth Amendment were clear. The application of Washington's sentencing scheme violated the defendant's right to have the jury find the existence of `any particular fact' that the law makes essential to his punishment. Booker, 125 S.Ct. at 749 (quoting Blakely, 124 S.Ct. at 2536). The Court in Booker concluded: Accordingly, we reaffirm our holding in Apprendi : Any fact (other than a prior conviction) which is necessary to support a sentence exceeding the maximum authorized by the facts established by a plea of guilty or a jury verdict must be admitted by the defendant or proved to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt. Booker, 125 S.Ct. at 756. Thus, the language of Booker demonstrates that the United States Supreme Court does not regard Blakely as having announced a new rule of law. [14] See also Apprendi, 530 U.S. at 490, 120 S.Ct. 2348 (describing its holding as foreshadowed by Jones v. United States, 526 U.S. 227, 119 S.Ct. 1215, 143 L.Ed.2d 311 (1999)); Blakely, 124 S.Ct. at 2536 (applying the rule [we] expressed in Apprendi ). Although some other courts and jurists have concluded that Blakely announced a new rule, the United States Supreme Court is the final arbiter of this issue. Cf. Beard v. Banks, 542 U.S. 406, 124 S.Ct. 2504, 159 L.Ed.2d 494 (2004) (reversing the federal circuit court of appeals and holding that Mills v. Maryland, 486 U.S. 367, 108 S.Ct. 1860, 100 L.Ed.2d 384 (1988) announced a new rule). In our view, United States Supreme Court decisions provide authoritative insight on how this question ultimately will be answered. Having carefully considered these authorities, we conclude that Blakely did not announce a new rule. Nonetheless, even had Blakely announced a new rule of law, our conclusion that the defendants are not entitled to plenary appellate review of this issue would have been the same. As previously explained, Griffith mandates plenary review in direct review, pipeline cases only if the issue to which the new rule relates has been preserved for review. 479 U.S. at 328, 107 S.Ct. 708. Neither Gomez nor Londono preserved a Sixth Amendment challenge to the imposition of their sentences. This constitutional challenge was raised for the first time in this Court after Blakely was decided. Thus, the defendants are limited to seeking relief on their Sixth Amendment claim via plain error review. See Booker, 125 S.Ct. at 769 ([W]e expect reviewing courts to apply ordinary prudential doctrines, determining, for example, whether the issue was raised below and whether it fails the `plain-error' test.); Cotton, 535 U.S. at 627, 122 S.Ct. 1781 (applying plain error review to an alleged Apprendi error that had not been raised in the district court). Although the defendants are correct in pointing out that we rejected a similar constitutional challenge in Graham, this fact does not excuse the defendants' failure to raise their Sixth Amendment claim. To the contrary, Graham illustrates that Tennessee defendants could have asserted Blakely -type challenges long before the United States Supreme Court decided Blakely . To the extent that the defendants are suggesting that Graham deterred them from raising their Sixth Amendment claim, they are factually mistaken because Graham was released seven months after the defendants were sentenced and six months after the trial court denied the defendants' motions requesting a new trial. Furthermore, had Graham been released before the defendants were sentenced, our conclusion would be the same. At the risk of stating the obvious, this Court is not the final arbiter of the United States Constitution. See, e.g., Seals v. State, 23 S.W.3d 272, 277 (Tenn.2000) (noting that this Court is the final arbiter of the Tennessee Constitution, not the United States Constitution). Like all Tennessee courts, this Court is bound by the United States Supreme Court's interpretation of the United States Constitution. [15] Defendants dissatisfied with this Court's interpretation of the United States Constitution can and often do seek review in the United States Supreme Court. See, e.g., Rogers v. Tennessee, 532 U.S. 451, 121 S.Ct. 1693, 149 L.Ed.2d 697 (2001); Payne v. Tennessee, 501 U.S. 808, 111 S.Ct. 2597, 115 L.Ed.2d 720 (1991). Because such review is available, criminal defendants routinely raise and preserve for federal review issues this Court has previously rejected. See, e.g., State v. Dellinger, 79 S.W.3d 458, 472 (Tenn.2002) (We have repeatedly rejected this argument in prior cases and decline to revisit the issue here.); Harris v. State, 947 S.W.2d 156, 176 (Tenn.Crim. App.1996) (The appellant raises numerous constitutional challenges to Tennessee's death penalty statute ... in order to preserve the issues for later review by the federal appellate courts.) Moreover, nothing in our decision in Graham precluded the defendants from raising Blakely -type challenges in future cases. Admittedly, Graham's existence meant that such claims would likely have been unsuccessful, but the defendants could have raised and preserved such issues for review by this Court and by the United States Supreme Court. Indeed, a defendant is never precluded from raising an issue simply because a prior decision has rejected it. As our previous discussion of Griffith makes clear, courts often reconsider arguments that have been previously rejected. See also Engle v. Isaac, 456 U.S. 107, 130, 102 S.Ct. 1558, 71 L.Ed.2d 783 (1982) (Even a state court that has previously rejected a constitutional argument may decide, upon reflection, that the contention is valid.). Ring v. Arizona, 536 U.S. 584, 122 S.Ct. 2428, 153 L.Ed.2d 556 (2002) well illustrates this point. In Ring , the Court overruled Walton v. Arizona, 497 U.S. 639, 110 S.Ct. 3047, 111 L.Ed.2d 511 (1990), to the extent that it allows a sentencing judge, sitting without a jury, to find an aggravating circumstance necessary for imposition of the death penalty. Ring, 536 U.S. at 609, 122 S.Ct. 2428. The defendant in Ring preserved his argument under Apprendi even though that very argument appeared to be foreclosed by Walton . Adverse precedent neither bars a defendant from raising and preserving an issue for review nor excuses a defendant's failure to do so. Thus, because the defendants failed to raise and to preserve for review their Sixth Amendment challenge, the defendants are limited to seeking relief via plain error review. [16]