Opinion ID: 1060725
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Tennessee Status

Text: The Court of Criminal Appeals in this case held that the year-and-a-day rule was abrogated by the Criminal Sentencing Reform Act of 1989. The appellant contends that the intermediate court erred in reaching this conclusion. Rogers argues that the year-and-a-day rule is not a defense, but a substantive principle of law relating to causation. Rogers argues that causation is an area of homicide law which is still governed by common law principles. Accordingly, Rogers argues that the 1989 Act did not abolish the common law year-and-a-day rule which relates to causation. As support for his argument, Rogers relies upon Tenn.Code Ann. § 39-11-104 (1997 Repl.), which provides that [t]he provisions of this title shall be construed according to the fair import of their terms, including reference to judicial decisions and common law interpretations, to promote justice, and effect the objectives of the criminal code. (Emphasis added). Rogers contends that this statutory section is further supported by the Sentencing Commission Comments to Tenn.Code Ann. § 39-11-102 (1997 Repl.), which state that the commission does not intend to abrogate the interpretive rules developed under common law and specifically includes such interpretations under § 39-11-104. Agreeing with the defendant that the year-and-a-day rule is a substantive principle of law rather than a common law defense, the State nonetheless argues that the year-and-a-day rule was abrogated by the 1989 Act because it was not included as part of the definition of criminal homicide. See Tenn.Code Ann. § 39-13-201 (1997 Repl.). As support for its argument, the State points to Tenn.Code Ann. § 39-11-101(2) (1997 Repl.), which states that one objective of the 1989 Criminal Code was to give fair warning of what conduct is prohibited, and guide the exercise of official discretion in law enforcement, by defining the act and culpable mental state which together constitute the offense. The State also relies upon Tenn.Code Ann. § 39-11-102(a) (1997 Repl.), which provides that [c]onduct does not constitute an offense unless it is defined as an offense by statute, municipal ordinance, or rule authorized by and lawfully adopted under a statute. Additionally, the State relies upon the Sentencing Commission Comments to Section 102 which state [i]t is the intent of the commission that common law offenses be replaced with statutory offenses to effectuate the goals set forth in § 39-11-101(1) and (2). Finally, the State relies upon court decisions from New York and Georgia which have held that the rule was abolished by passage of a comprehensive criminal code. See Brengard, 191 N.E. at 850; Cross, 401 S.E.2d at 511. We have considered the provisions of the 1989 Act, and the arguments advanced by both the defendant and the State, and conclude that the common law rule was not abolished by the Act. First, we agree with the defendant that the rule was not abolished by Tenn.Code Ann. § 39-11-203(e)(2)(1997 Repl.) which provides that [d]efenses available under common law are hereby abolished. While similar in some respects to a defense in the sense that it precludes a conviction, the year-and-a-day rule is even more powerful than a defense because it entirely precludes a murder prosecution. Secondly, we disagree with the State's basic assertion that the rule was implicitly abolished by its omission from the statute. As the defendant points out, causation is not explicitly included within the statutory definition of criminal homicide; yet, the State conceded at oral argument that the common law causation requirement was not abolished by the 1989 Act. See State v. Barnes, 703 S.W.2d 611 (Tenn.1985); State v. Randolph, 676 S.W.2d 943 (Tenn.1984); Letner v. State, 156 Tenn. 68, 299 S.W. 1049 (1927); Copeland v. State, 154 Tenn. 7, 285 S.W. 565 (1926); Odeneal v. State, 128 Tenn. 60, 157 S.W. 419 (1913) (discussing the requirement that causation be proven beyond a reasonable doubt). Statutes in derogation of the common law are to be strictly construed. Perry v. Sentry Ins. Co., 938 S.W.2d 404, 406 (Tenn.1996). As the defendant points out, common law judicial decisions and interpretive rules are explicitly approved by the statute and by the Sentencing Commission Comments. In addition, criminal statutes are to be strictly construed against the State and in favor of the defendant. State v. Alford, 970 S.W.2d 944, 947 (Tenn.1998); State v. Bobo, 727 S.W.2d 945, 952 (Tenn.1987). For these reasons, in the absence of a statutory provision explicitly abolishing the common law rule, we are constrained to disagree with the State's assertion that the year-and-a-day rule was abolished by the 1989 Act. The State strongly urges this Court to judicially abrogate the common law rule. While the defendant concedes that this Court has the power to abrogate the rule, he nonetheless argues that we should defer action on this issue to the judgment of the General Assembly. Rogers contends that the General Assembly is in a better position to determine an appropriate substitute time limit to replace the year-and-a-day rule. This Court has not hesitated to abolish obsolete common-law doctrines, and we have recognized that we have a special duty to do so where it is the Court, rather than the Legislature, which has recognized and nurtured the common law rule. Dupuis v. Hand, 814 S.W.2d 340, 345 (Tenn.1991) (internal quotations and citations omitted). Indeed, we have stated that we abdicate our function, in a field peculiarly non-statutory, when we refuse to consider an old and court-made rule. Id. Since, as previously stated, the year-and-a-day rule has its roots in the common law, and has in fact never been a part of the statutory law of this State, we refuse the defendant's suggestion to defer this issue to the General Assembly's judgment. This is an issue of law over which our review is particularly appropriate. Accordingly, we will next consider whether the rule should be judicially abrogated. Without question, the reasons which prompted common law courts to recognize the rule no longer exist. Medical science can now sustain the critically wounded for months and even years beyond what might have been imagined only a few decades ago. Comparable progress has been made in the development of diagnostic skills, so that problems of medical causation are more readily resolved. Modern pathologists are able to determine the cause of death with much greater accuracy than was possible in earlier times. Moreover, jurors today may rely upon expert testimony, even when the testimony relates to an ultimate issue of fact such as causation. See Tenn. R. Evid. 704; State v. Shuck, 953 S.W.2d 662 (Tenn.1997). Indeed, adoption of the rules of evidence has made the admission of expert testimony routine. See McDaniel v. CSX Transp., Inc., 955 S.W.2d 257 (Tenn.1997) (discussing admission requirements). Finally, the death penalty is no longer indiscriminately imposed for all homicides. In Tennessee, the death penalty is a possible punishment for only one type of homicidefirst degree murder. Even in first degree murder cases, the death penalty is not automatically sought by the prosecutor, nor is it automatically imposed by a jury. The defendant is given a jury sentencing hearing, replete with procedural and substantive safeguards. See Tenn.Code Ann. § 39-13-204-208 (1997 Repl. & Supp.1998). Where the reason fails the rule should not apply. Brown v. Selby, 206 Tenn. 71, 332 S.W.2d 166, 169 (1960). We have previously observed that [a]s a living and breathing thing, the law changes when necessary to serve the needs of the people. When this basic purpose of the law is slighted or overlooked, then it loses a high degree of its majesty. Dupuis, 814 S.W.2d at 345 (citations omitted). Clearly, advances in medical science, improved trial procedure, and sentencing reform have eroded the reasons originally supporting the common law year-and-a-day rule. Accordingly, we hereby abolish the common law rule, and by doing so, join the majority of other jurisdictions which have recently considered the issue. We also reject the defendant's invitation to adopt a substitute time limit to replace the year-and-a-day rule. We agree with those courts which have held that no arbitrary time frame is needed because abolition of the year-and-a-day rule does not relieve the State of its burden of proving causation beyond a reasonable doubt. See e.g. Jackson, 528 A.2d at 1218; Stevenson, 331 N.W.2d at 146; Sandridge, 365 N.E.2d at 899. This safeguard is sufficient to satisfy due process. Moreover, in light of the fact that there is no statute of limitations for murder prosecutions in Tennessee, [5] imposition of an arbitrary time limit to bar murder prosecutions if the victim does not die within a specified period of time is not consistent with public policy.