IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OF TENNESSEE
AT NASHVILLE
FEBRUARY SESSION, 1997 FILED
August 22, 1997
Cecil Crowson, Jr.
Appellate C ourt Clerk
STATE OF TENNESSEE, )
) No. 01C01-9605-CC-00211
Appellee )
) STEWART COUNTY
vs. )
) Hon. ROBERT E. BURCH, Judge
RONNIE O. ROWLETT, )
) (Motor Vehicle Habitual Offender)
Appellant )
For the Appellant: For the Appellee:
DENTY CHEATHAM CHARLES W. BURSON
Cheatham & Palermo Attorney General and Reporter
43 Music Square West
Nashville, TN 37203 KAREN M. YACUZZO
Assistant Attorney General
Criminal Justice Division
450 James Robertson Parkway
Nashville, TN 37243-0493
DAN MITCHUM ALSOBROOKS
District Attorney General
GEORGE C. SEXTON
Asst. District Attorney General
Post Office Box 580
Charlotte, TN 37036
OPINION FILED:
AFFIRMED
David G. Hayes
Judge
OPINION
The appellant, Ronnie O. Rowlett, appeals from the Stewart County
Circuit Court's order declaring him a motor vehicle habitual offender pursuant to
Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-601 et seq. (1993).1 The grounds for declaring the
appellant a motor vehicle habitual offender are not in dispute. The appellant
concedes that he was convicted of reckless driving in 1989; driving on a revoked
license in 1990; driving without a license in 1992; and driving under the influence
in 1994. The sole issue presented for review is whether the adjudication of a
defendant as an habitual motor vehicle offender and the resulting revocation of
his driver's license constitutes double jeopardy.
The appellant initially acknowledges that the Tennessee Supreme Court
has previously decided this issue in State v. Conley, 639 S.W.2d 435, 436-437
(Tenn. 1982) (holding that a proceeding to have a defendant declared an
habitual offender and to have his driving privileges revoked does not subject him
to double jeopardy). In Conley, the court observed that the revocation of a
license was "nothing more than the deprivation of a privilege, . . . 'remedial in
nature,' and . . . not intended to have the effect of imposing 'punishment' in order
to vindicate public justice." Id. at 437. Nonetheless, the appellant asserts that
recent federal cases, i.e., United States v. Halper, 490 U.S. 435, 109 S.Ct. 1892
(1989); United States v. Austin, -- U.S. --, 113 S.Ct. 2901 (1993); and
Department of Revenue v. Kurth Ranch, -- U.S. --, 114 S.Ct. 1937 (1994),
mandate a different result, as these cases provide that "the labels 'criminal' and
'civil' are not of paramount importance" in determining whether a sanction
1
A person may be declared a habitual offender if, "during a five-year period, [that
individual] is convicted in a Tennessee court or courts of three (3) or more of the following
offenses . . .provided, that, if the five. . .year period is used one (1) of such offenses occurred after
July 1, 1991: (vi) violation of § 55-10-401, prohibiting intoxicate d . . . p ersons from driving; (vii)
violation of chapter 50, part 3 of this title, relative to driving while unlicensed; (viii) violation of § 55-
50-504, relative to driving on a cancelled, suspended, or revoked license; (ix) violation of § 55-10-
205, relative to reckless driving . . . ." Tenn. Co de Ann . § 55-10-603 2(A ).
2
constitutes punishment for double jeopardy purposes. Halper, 490 U.S. at 447,
109 S.Ct. at 1901. Moreover, even though he acknowledges the Court's recent
decision on a similar issue in United States v. Ursery and United States v.
$405,089.23 in United States Currency, -- U.S. --, 116 S.Ct. 2135 (1996) (holding
that, although certain punitive aspects are present, in rem forfeitures serve
important nonpunitive goals and are neither "punishment" nor "criminal" for
double jeopardy consideration, thus, the forfeiture of property as a result of a civil
complaint does not bar a subsequent criminal prosecution), he contends that (1)
Ursery does not overrule the holdings in Halper, Austin, and Kurth Ranch; (2)
that Ursery does not apply to the present case because the present case is not
an in rem proceeding and because the revocation of a license is clearly a
penalty; 2 and (3) that, even if there is no violation of the federal Double Jeopardy
Clause, this court can conclude that there is a violation of the Double Jeopardy
Clause found in Article I, Section 10 of the Tennessee Constitution.
An identical argument was recently addressed by another panel of this
court in State v. McClure and Ownby, No. 03C01-9605-CC-00198 (Tenn. Crim.
App. at Knoxville, Jan. 29, 1997). In McClure, this court determined that "Ursery
applies by analogy to [a proceeding under the Motor Vehicle Habitual Offenders
Act]." Id. Thus, this court concluded that, consistent with our supreme court's
holding in Conley, "the state action under the . . . Act is remedial and not
intended to inflict punishment."3 McClure, No. 03C01-9605-CC-00198 (citations
omitted). See also State v. Malady, No. 02C01-9506-CR-00166 (Tenn. Crim.
App. at Jackson, Jul. 26, 1996). We agree with this reasoning. Adhering to the
2
Contrary to the appellant's position, the courts of this state have repeatedly held that the
ability to drive a m otor vehicle is a privilege and n ot a prope rty right. See, e.g., Go ats v. S tate,
364 S.W .2d 889, 891 (T enn . 1963); Sullins v. Butler, 135 S.W .2d 930, 932 (T enn . 1940).
Accordingly, the revo cation of on e's driver's lice nse is not punishm ent fo r a crim inal act, but,
instea d, is the revocation of a p rivilege of one who had dem ons trated that it was un safe for him to
con tinue to ope rate m otor vehicles up on the high ways of the state. Conley, 639 S.W .2d at 437
(citing Go ats, 364 S.W .2d at 891).
3
See also Bankston v. State , 815 S.W .2d 213, 215 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1991) (holding that
license revocation proceed ings under the Ac t are civil in nature).
3
precedent set forth in Ursery and Conley, we hold that an adjudication of a
defendant as an habitual offender under the Motor Vehicle Habitual Offenders
Act and the subsequent revocation of his license, is not violative of his right
against double jeopardy as provided by both the federal and Tennessee
constitutions.
The judgment of the trial court is affirmed.
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DAVID G. HAYES, Judge
CONCUR:
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GARY R. WADE, Judge
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CURWOOD WITT, Judge
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