Interview by Lilly Ann Brown
Court, by nature, remains a bit mysterious to those not participating. Between their separate building and exclusive procedure, Court doesn’t seem quite as intertwined in the rest of the conference as it truly is. However, AG Ethan Kennan refuses to be ignored, and is determined to make sure that today the question of judicial review and constitutionality is on everyone’s mind. Here’s a brief conversation for those who want to learn more.
LAB: So, for those wondering, can you give us a little description of what’s happening today as it pertains to judicial review?
EK: Today we are taking Red Senate bill 1-1 to court because the constitutionality is called into question. Specifically, we are concerned as to whether it is in violation of the privileges and immunities clause of the United States Constitution.
LAB: Can you tell us more about the bill?
EK: RSB/23-1-1 raises property taxes for non-residents of Tennessee in their county. Thus, those that have not filed for residency in the state by not providing documents such as a current paycheck, voter registration, or driver’s license must pay more to their county.
LAB: What will the argument look like?
EK: We will have lawyer teams on both sides arguing with case law to see if it is constitutional or not.
LAB: Ok, great! What about the other bill you are pulling in?
EK: Right, the other one is Blue House bill 1-13, which calls into question the 5th amendment right to due process and the 14th amendment right to equal application.
LAB: Oh! Is this the death penalty one I’ve heard about?
EK: That’s the one.
EK: They are interested in prioritizing death penalty appeals proceedings over other cases in the judicial system which calls into question if prioritization violates due process.
Department of Public Information 