The post-conviction defender must provide representation and related support for certain death-sentenced people, and may do so in some additional appeal and clemency situations.
It is the primary responsibility of the post-conviction defender to represent, without additional compensation, any person convicted and sentenced to death in this state who is without counsel and who is unable to secure counsel due to indigency or determined by a state court with competent jurisdiction to be indigent, for the purpose of instituting and prosecuting collateral actions challenging the legality of the judgment and sentence imposed against that person in state court, and who the court determines requires the appointment of counsel. Under limited circumstance where the post-conviction defender determines that it is in the interest of justice, the post-conviction defender may represent, without additional compensation, any person on a direct appellate review of the conviction of a capital crime if that person is without counsel and is unable to secure counsel due to indigency, or is determined by a state court with competent jurisdiction to be indigent and where that state court has determined competent counsel is unavailable. The post-conviction defender shall represent, without additional compensation, any person convicted and sentenced to death in this state who is without counsel and who is unable to secure counsel due to that person's indigency or is determined by a state court of competent jurisdiction to be indigent for the purpose of instituting and prosecuting collateral actions challenging the legality of the judgment and sentence imposed against the person in the federal courts in this state, the United States court of appeals for the sixth circuit, and the United States supreme court, only to the extent that compensation for representation and reimbursement for expenses is provided by 18 U.S.C. § 3006A or any other non-state funded source. The post-conviction defender shall also: Maintain a clearinghouse of materials and a repository of briefs prepared by the post-conviction defender to be made available to public defenders and private counsel who represent indigents charged with or convicted of capital crimes; Provide continuing legal education training to public defenders, assistant post-conviction defenders and to private counsel representing indigents in capital cases, as resources are available; Provide consulting services to all attorneys representing defendants in capital cases on a non-case-specific basis; and Recruit qualified members of the private bar who are willing to provide representation in state death penalty proceedings. Where the post-conviction defender determines that it is in the interest of justice, the post-conviction defender may represent, without additional compensation, a death sentenced inmate, who, at the completion of both state post-conviction proceedings and federal collateral review, remains under a sentence of death, if the individual is presently represented by the post-conviction defender or if the individual is not currently represented by the post-conviction defender but is unable to secure counsel due to indigency, during clemency proceedings before the Tennessee board of parole and the governor and in proceedings to determine whether the death sentenced inmate is competent to be executed.