Court Opinion

ID: 9642490
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 18:00:05.525157+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:10:48.488872
License: Public Domain

OPINION ON PETITION TO REHEAR
COOPER, Justice.
Abe Hatcher has filed a petition to rehear insisting “the Court overlooked certain important points which would require reversing the Court’s opinion, and, also to cite additional authority.” Specifically, Mr. Hatcher questions (1) the constitutionality of the residence requirement for circuit judges set forth in Article 6, Section 4, of the Tennessee Constitution, (2) the validity of this court’s reliance on the cases of Lewis v. Watkins, 71 Tenn. 174 (1879), and Zirkle v. Stegall, 163 Tenn. 323, 43 S.W.2d 192 (1930), cited in the opinion in this case, and (3) the validity of this court’s interpretation of the pre-election residence requirement for circuit judge as set forth in the Constitution of this State.
The purpose of a petition to rehear is to call this court’s attention to decisive authority not considered by this court in making its decision, not to reargue the case on points already considered by the court. Abernathy v. Chambers, 482 S.W.2d 129 (Tenn.1972). Grounds two and three were fully argued before this court on appeal. Counsel has cited us to no new decisive authority on these issues, nor to any authority, new or old, which this court did not consider in making its decision in this case.
As to ground one of the petition, this is the first time in this litigation that petitioner has suggested the residence requirements for candidates for circuit judge set forth in the Tennessee Constitution is itself unconstitutional. Petitioner now insists that to require a period of residence longer than the two-year period petitioner resided in this state prior to the election “is unconstitutional as contrary to the compelling state interest of Tennessee and petitioner’s basic constitutional right of interstate travel protected by the U.S.C.A. Const. Amend. 14.” In support of this insistence, petitioner has cited us to Gilbert v. State, 526 P.2d 1131 (Alaska 1974), wherein that court upheld a requirement that candidates for the state legislature reside in the State or Alaska for three years and in the community the candidate seeks to represent for one year prior to the election. Petitioner reasons from this that if a three year residence requirement is reasonable for a state legislator in Alaska, it is unreasonable for the State of Tennessee to require more than two years residence of a candidate for judicial office. We cannot accept this reasoning. As pointed out in our opinion in this case, “the purpose of a residence requirement is to insure the voters the opportunity to become acquainted with the candidate’s ability, character, personality, and reputation and, secondarily, to ensure that the candidate have the opportunity to know the customs and the mores of the people.” We find nothing in this record or in the argument of petitioner to lead us to the conclusion that the five year resident requirement for candidates for circuit judge is unreasonable to accomplish this purpose.
Petition denied. Costs will be adjudged against the petitioner and his surety.
FONES, C. J., and BROCK and HENRY, JJ., concur.
HARBISON, J., not participating.