State v. Bouchard

OPINION

DAUGHTREY, Judge.

This appeal by the State of Tennessee presents a single legal question for our determination: whether the trial court can modify its judgment of conviction more than thirty days after the entry of that order, in the absence of an intervening motion which has the effect of postponing finality of the court’s judgment, in order to provide for consecutive sentencing of a criminal defendant.

An examination of the unique procedural posture of this case is necessary to an understanding of our conclusion that the modification attempted below was a nullity.

The…