JAMES LEE MCCLAIN v. STATE OF TENNESSEE - Articles

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JAMES LEE MCCLAIN v. STATE OF TENNESSEE

Posted by: Azya Thornton on Sep 17, 2024

Court: TN Court of Criminal Appeals

Attorneys 1: Samuel W. Hinson, Lexington, Tennessee, for the appellant, James Lee McClain.

Attorneys 2: Jonathan Skrmetti, Attorney General and Reporter; Caroline Weldon, Assistant Attorney General; Jody S. Pickens, District Attorney General; and Shaun A. Brown, Assistant District Attorney General, for the appellee, State of Tennessee.

Judge(s): HIXSON

The Petitioner, James Lee McClain, appeals the Madison County Circuit Court’s denial of his petition for post-conviction relief challenging his convictions for aggravated assault and witness coercion. The Petitioner argues he received the ineffective assistance of both pretrial and appellate counsel. Specifically, he contends both attorneys who represented him during the pretrial stage were ineffective by failing to discuss discovery materials and case strategy with him, failing to adequately prepare for trial, and failing to file “critical” motions, resulting in the Petitioner’s having to represent himself at trial. Additionally, he argues appellate counsel was ineffective by failing to include sufficiency of the evidence and severance issues in his direct appeal. Following our review, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court.

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