Opinion ID: 1355273
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 16

Heading: Tennessee's Death Penalty Scheme Violates International Treaties

Text: Defendant Thomas next asserts that Tennessee's imposition of a death penalty violates United States treaties and hence the federal constitution's Supremacy Clause. [2] Defendant Thomas claims that the Supremacy Clause was violated when his rights under treaties and customary international law to which the United States is bound were disregarded. Specifically, his argument is based upon two primary grounds: (1) customary international law and specific international treaties prohibit capital punishment, and (2) customary international law and specific international treaties prohibit reinstatement of the death penalty by a governmental unit once it has been abolished. This identical argument has recently been rejected by panels of this Court in State v. Richard Odom, No. W2000-02301-CCA-R3-DD, 2002 WL 31322532, at -35 (Tenn.Crim.App., Jackson, Oct. 15, 2002), and State v. Robert Faulkner, No. W2001-02614-CCA-R3-DD, 2003 WL 22220341, at  (Tenn.Crim.App., Jackson, Sept. 26, 2003). We see no viable reason to resolve this issue in a different manner in the present case. Defendant Thomas is not entitled to relief on this issue.