Jack Charles Blankenship, Appellant v. State of Tennessee, Appellee

Summary

The Tennessee Supreme Court affirmed the denial of post-conviction relief to a prisoner serving life as a habitual criminal who attacked the guilty pleas underlying his six predicate convictions. The Court held that the 'but for' rule of State v. Neal is confined to challenges premised on ineffective assistance of counsel, that a trial court's failure to warn that a plea could later be used to enhance punishment does not violate Boykin because enhancement is not a 'direct consequence' under federal law, and that the omission of advice on the privilege against self-incrimination at the 1972 plea hearing was at most harmless error. No separate writings were filed.