Governor Bill Lee signed a bill curing a defect in
Tennessee law that had prevented death-row prisoners from challenging their death sentences on the basis of intellectual disability,
Pervis Payne’s (pictured) lawyers asked a Memphis trial court to vacate his death sentence.
On May 12, 2021, federal defenders representing Payne filed a
Petition to Determine Ineligibility to be Executed in the Shelby County Criminal Court seeking that the court “declare that Mr. Payne is ineligible to be executed because he is intellectually disabled.” Prior to the bill’s May 11 signing, Tennessee lacked a mechanism for prisoners to litigate their ineligibility for the death penalty if their death sentences had already been upheld on appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court issued its 2002 decision in
Movement to keep Pervis Payne from execution swells on social media
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Movement to keep Pervis Payne from execution swells on social media
commercialappeal.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from commercialappeal.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Investigators: Concerns over non-diverse jury may continue to delay Shelby County trials
The Investigators: Shelby County courtroom crisis pt. 2 By Jessica Jaglois | February 6, 2021 at 12:08 PM CST - Updated February 6 at 12:35 PM
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - No jury trials have been held in Shelby County since early last year. There are constitutional concerns that come with delaying justice for victims and the accused, but court officials also worry about the potential make up and impact of juries moving forward.
The Tennessee Supreme Court stopped jury trials statewide last March, saying it was too risky to have the dozens of people needed for a jury trial in one courtroom during the pandemic.