The Tennessee State Legislature has a habit of enacting new criminal laws on an isolated incident that occurred in someone’s legislative district. The practice creates terrible laws. I read a great quote recently from an outgoing U.S Senator. ” Legislatures should govern not campaign.” Tennessee State Legislator Jeremy Faison tweeted that the death penalty should apply for innocent people killed by arson.
We can all agree the intentional setting of forest fires is unconscionable. It should be punished. However, Tennessee already has death penalty laws , arson laws, and laws defining murder charges. Clearly, Representative Faison’s tweet was merely a campaign ploy. Every legislative session some law is passed to address an issue that rarely occurs. The legislator goes home and claims a public relations victory. Last week , I posted my commentary on the various criminal laws that could impact the case. I saw a campaign pledge during the recent election of less government. Maybe we need fewer laws.
In my post, I discussed aggravated arson cases in Sevier County. Also, the criminal laws that are now in place to address those issues. The authority od the District Attorney to decide whether to present the charges in Juvenile court or seek to transfer the case to adult court. It seems our government has moved from a civil discourse on governing our state into proposing laws on Twitter.