Tennessee Legislature to debate child rape death penalty bill

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WDEF) – The Tennessee State Legislature will be discussing a new bill that would strengthen the punishment for those convicted of the rape of a child.

Sponsored by Representative William Lambert of Portland, House Bill 1663 would authorize the death penalty for those convicted of child rape.

Currently under Tennessee law, a convicted suspect would receive at minimum 25 years and up to the maximum of 60 years in prison.

Additionally, a Supreme Court decision in the 2008 case Kennedy v. Louisiana prohibited the death penalty from being applied to such cases due to Eighth Amendment provisions.

However, Representative Lambert believes if this bill were to be passed and challenged back up to the Supreme Court, there could be a different outcome.

He told one committee, “I think the current U.S. Supreme Court is much more 10th Amendment friendly, they’re much more State’s Rights friendly, and I’m confident that this could be overturned. I can’t guarantee that it will, but it can be. If the fear of losing their own life saves even one kid, the fear of a defendant, saves even one kid from being raped by a monster out there, because if they do that, they face the death penalty, then it’s worth passing in my humble opinion.”

The bill will be debated on the State Senate floor on Monday.