Students from 10 public and private 8th Judicial District high schools will hear arguments in three state Supreme Court cases Thursday, May 8, in Jacksboro as participants in a program that educates young Tennesseans about the judicial branch of government.
The 402 students and their teachers will attend a special Supreme Court session in the auditorium at Campbell County High School. Each of three groups of students will hear oral arguments in one actual case, beginning at 9 a.m., followed by a question and answer session with the attorneys for both sides in the cases. The five-member Supreme Court will be seated at a portable bench constructed for use at SCALES programs.
Schools participating in SCALES - an acronym for the Supreme Court Advancing Legal Education for Students – are Claiborne High School, Cumberland Gap High School, Jellico High School, Scott High School, Alvin C. York Institute, Clarkrange High School, J. Frank White Academy, Oneida High School, Union County High School and Campbell County High School.
Since the first SCALES program in 1995, 18,758 students have participated. Chief Justice William M. Barker and Justices Janice M. Holder, Cornelia A. Clark, Gary R. Wade and William C. Koch, Jr., conduct SCALES programs in communities across the state at the request of local judges and members of the Bar.
Participating students and teachers will join the Supreme Court, local judges, attorneys and other guests for lunch and a brief program. The meal is being sponsored locally.
Teachers whose classes are involved in the project attended a three-hour professional development session April 4 conducted by Court of Criminal Appeals Judge D. Kelly Thomas and Criminal Court Judge Shayne Sexton. The session included a review of cases to be argued at SCALES. The teachers also were provided with notebooks of materials to use in their classrooms, including suggested activities, and SCALES Project handbooks for each student.
Local judges and attorneys met with teachers at the professional development session to schedule classroom visits to review the cases and issues to be considered by the Supreme Court. After justices rule in the cases, copies of the court's opinions will be provided to the classes and posted on the court system website at www.tncourts.gov.
"For the past 13 years, the Supreme Court has traveled across the state conducting SCALES programs,” Chief Justice Barker said. “We believe it is important for students to see first-hand how the judicial system they will inherit works. Spending time with the young Tennesseans always renews our faith that the future of this country is in good hands.”
Cases the students will hear involve a drug-related arrest sparked by a traffic stop and whether the stop was illegal; whether a motorist arrested for DUI should have been stopped by police based on another motorist flashing her lights and waving her arms to get the attention of the officer; and whether a criminal defendant’s confession should be suppressed because his constitutional rights to an attorney and to remain silent were violated.