Sergeant Baker Act Passes The General Assembly

This year, the General Assembly also approved House Bill 258, known as the Sergeant Baker Act.

This initiative removes the intermediate appeal to the court of criminal appeals in death penalty cases and provides for automatic direct review by the Tennessee Supreme Court for convictions for which a death sentence is imposed.

Additionally, House Bill 258 removes the direct appeal from the trial court to the court of criminal appeals and provides that when the judgment has become final in trial court, the conviction and death sentence will be automatically reviewed by the Supreme Court.

As referenced by media reports, House Bill 258 is named after Sgt. Daniel Baker, a Dickson County Sheriff’s Sergeant who was shot and killed in May of last year.