Opinion ID: 1060373
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 19

Heading: Disqualification of Tennessee Supreme Court and/or State Attorney General

Text: During the pendency of the re-sentencing hearing, the Appellant filed, in the Shelby County Criminal Court, a Motion to Disqualify Supreme Court and/or Attorney General from Future Proceedings in this Cause. The substance of the motion was based upon the Appellant's allegation that the Tennessee Supreme Court's constitutional directive to appoint the Attorney General results in a biased tribunal and violates the constitutionally mandated separation of powers. See TENN CONST. Art. VI, sec. 5; TENN.CODE ANN. § 8-6-101 (1993). Contemporaneously, the Appellant issued subpoenas to the justices of the supreme court; Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Paul G. Summers; [1] Mr. Charles Ferrell, Director, Administrative Office of the Courts; and Attorney General Knox Walkup. The trial court denied the motion and quashed the subpoenas, finding that the motion was premature. This court denied the Appellant's application for extraordinary review pursuant to Tenn. R.App. P. 10, holding that none of the persons subpoenaed had any involvement in the case at the trial level. See State v. Richard Hale Austin, No. 02C01-9811-CR-00341 (Tenn.Crim.App. at Jackson, Nov. 9, 1998). The Tennessee Supreme Court denied the Appellant's application for extraordinary appeal from this court's order. See State v. Richard Hale Austin, No. 02S01-9811-CR-00112 (Tenn. at Jackson, Feb. 1, 1999). Following the reimposition of the death penalty, the Appellant filed a motion in this court seeking leave to issue subpoenas and take testimony, or, in the alternative, to remand the case to the trial court to take testimony. In his motion, the Appellant asserted that through the issuance of subpoenas he would be able to develop the political interconnectedness of the Tennessee Supreme Court and the present Attorney General, Honorable Paul Summers. He alleged that the present Attorney General is a favorite son of the supreme court and a de facto employee beholden to the court. Essentially, the Appellant argued that the circumstances surrounding the appointment of Paul Summers as Attorney General are crucial to proving a due process violation as to the lack of an unbiased and impartial Supreme Court. This court denied the Appellant's motion, finding that this court was without jurisdiction to entertain the motion. See State v. Richard Hale Austin, No. W1999-00281-CCA-R3-PD (Tenn.Crim.App. at Jackson, Dec. 3, 1999). Additionally, this court noted that a claim involving disqualification or recusal of the Tennessee Supreme Court may not appropriately be considered by either the trial court or this court. Id. (citing Tenn. Sup.Ct. R. 10, Canon 3(E)(1)(a); State v. Benson, 973 S.W.2d 202 (Tenn.1998) (allegations of judge's impartiality or bias concerning a party or a party's lawyer must be brought to the attention of the judge(s) so challenged)). The Appellant now complains of the prior rulings of the trial court and this court. Specifically, he alleges that had he been permitted to develop proof at the hearing before the trial court, he would have been able to demonstrate that the Supreme Court instructed Mr. Knox Walkup, who at the time was Attorney General, to resign, telling him that he would not be reappointed. Furthermore, the proof would have demonstrated that the Court had previously made a private agreement to appoint Mr. Paul Summers as the next Attorney General, notwithstanding the fact that the Supreme Court publicly asserted it had a purportedly neutral selection process to select a new Attorney General. All of these facts demonstrate the political interconnectedness of the Supreme Court and the Attorney General. As determined by prior panels of this court and by the trial court in this matter, this court is unable to undertake review of the Appellant's challenge. Although the Appellant raises constitutional claims against Tennessee's method of selecting the Attorney General, in essence, the Appellant seeks recusal of the current Justices of the Tennessee Supreme Court based on their favoritism toward current Attorney General Summers. Indeed, his argument before this court, as in his prior motions, appears to assert approval of former Attorney General Walkup. Thus, this court will treat this issue as one addressing the supreme court's recusal and not as a constitutional challenge to the method of appointment. The right to a fair trial before an impartial tribunal is a fundamental constitutional right. See Benson, 973 S.W.2d at 205 (citing Chapman v. California, 386 U.S. 18, 23 n. 8, 87 S.Ct. 824, 828 n. 8, 17 L.Ed.2d 705 (1967) (internal citations omitted)). Article VI, § 11 of the Tennessee Constitution provides that [n]o Judge of the Supreme of Inferior Courts shall preside on the trial of any cause in the event of which he may be interested. Benson, 973 S.W.2d at 205. The purpose of this constitutional provision is to guard against the prejudgment of the rights of litigants and to avoid situations in which the litigants might have cause to conclude that the court had reached a prejudged conclusion because of interest, partiality, or favor. Id. (citing Chumbley v. People's Bank & Trust Co., 165 Tenn. 655, 57 S.W.2d 787, 788 (1933)). A judge's determination of whether he or she will disqualify him or herself from sitting in a case is a matter within that judge's discretion. See generally Kinard v. Kinard, 986 S.W.2d 220 (Tenn.App.1998); Young v. Young, 971 S.W.2d 386 (Tenn.App.1997); State v. Connors, 995 S.W.2d 146 (Tenn.Crim.App.1998); Wiseman v. Spaulding, 573 S.W.2d 490, 493 (Tenn.App.1978)(citing State of Tenn. ex rel. Phillips v. Henderson, Warden, 220 Tenn. 701, 423 S.W.2d 489 (1968)). Thus, the Appellant's motion must be brought to the attention of the justices whom he has challenged. See generally Tenn. Sup.Ct. R. 10, Canon 3(E)(1)(a). Cf. Holder v. Tennessee Judicial Selection Commission, 937 S.W.2d 877, 879 (Tenn.1996) (justices disqualified themselves prior to hearing); Pierce v. Tharp, 224 Tenn. 328, 461 S.W.2d 950, 953-54 (1970), cert. denied, 402 U.S. 929, 91 S.Ct. 1527, 28 L.Ed.2d 863 (1971) (motion to recuse justices should have been brought after certiorari was granted but before argument heard); Chumbley v. People's Bank & Trust Co., 57 S.W.2d at 787 (supreme court justices determined propriety of own recusal); Hooker v. Sundquist, No. 01A01-9709-CH-00533, 1999 WL 74545 (Tenn. at Nashville, Feb. 16, 1999) (motion to recuse justices filed after application for permission to appeal filed). Neither the trial court nor this court has the prerogative or authority to arrive at any conclusion regarding the alleged impartiality or bias of each challenged justice. The Appellant has yet to present the motion to the supreme court. He is not yet precluded from presenting his challenge to the court and may properly file his motion after the court has accepted review of his case. Although no precise procedure is contemplated by the Canons nor established through case law, the accepted practice when seeking the disqualification of a judge is through the filing of a motion for recusal with supporting affidavits of prejudice. See generally 46 AM.JUR.2D Judges §§ 194-214 (1994 & Supp. 2000). There is no authority for the issuance of subpoenas, or any other discovery procedures, in support of one's motion to disqualify a judge. Id. Accordingly, for the reasons set forth herein, we decline the Appellant's invitation to disqualify the justices of the Tennessee Supreme Court from participation in the review of his appeal. The Tennessee Supreme Court is the proper court before whom the Appellant's complaint should to be lodged.