(a) The district attorney general or the attorney general and reporter must be reimbursed for any expenses, including travel, incurred in connection with the preparation and trial of any proceeding under this part. This expense must be paid by the state and is not included in the expense allowance now received by the various district attorneys general or the attorney general and reporter.
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 40-30-114

  • Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Reporter: Makes a record of court proceedings and prepares a transcript, and also publishes the court's opinions or decisions (in the courts of appeals).
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
  • Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.
(b)

(1) It is the duty and function of the attorney general and reporter, and the attorney general and reporter’s staff, to lend whatever assistance may be necessary to the district attorney general in the trial and disposition of the cases.
(2) In the event an appeal is taken or a delayed appeal in the nature of a writ of error is granted, the attorney general and reporter, and the attorney general and reporter’s staff, shall represent the state and prepare and file all necessary briefs in the same manner as now performed in connection with criminal appeals.
(c)

(1) In cases where a defendant has been sentenced to death and is seeking collateral review of a conviction or sentence, the attorney general and reporter has exclusive control over the state’s defense of the request for collateral review and has all of the authority and discretion that the district attorney general would have in non-capital cases as well as any additional authority provided by law. The attorney general and reporter is not bound by any stipulations, concessions, or other agreements made by the district attorney general related to a request for collateral review.
(2) The trial court lacks jurisdiction to enter a final order granting relief on a request for collateral review outlined in subdivision (c)(1) until the attorney general and reporter files a response to the request.
(3) It is the duty and function of the district attorney general, and the district attorney general’s staff, to lend whatever assistance may be necessary to the attorney general and reporter in the trial and disposition of requests for collateral review outlined in subdivision (c)(1), including, but not limited to, providing the attorney general and reporter with the district attorney general’s case file and any other case-related material.
(4) As used in this subsection (c), “collateral review”:

(A) Means any proceeding under this chapter, including a petition requesting analysis of evidence, a proceeding under § 39-13-203(g), a proceeding under § 40-26-105, a proceeding involving a challenge to a capital inmate’s competency to be executed, and any other judicial reexamination of a judgment or claim in a proceeding outside of the direct review process; and
(B) When a defendant has been sentenced to death after March 1, 2023, does not mean the trial of an original petition for post-conviction relief as authorized by § 40-30-104. All other proceedings involving a defendant who has been sentenced to death after March 1, 2023, including reopened post-conviction proceedings granted under § 40-30-117 must be conducted in conformity with subdivision (c)(1).
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