Nashville, Tenn. - The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on May 28, 2025, before an accomplished group of rising high school seniors at the Tennessee American Legion Boys State at Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville. The event is part of the Court’s SCALES program, which stands for Supreme Court Advancing Legal Education for Students. SCALES is an initiative launched by the Tennessee Supreme Court in 1995 to educate high school students about the Tennessee legal system and the functions of the judicial branch.
“It is essential for our young people to see the judicial system in action and up close,” said Chief Justice Holly Kirby. “We are excited to bring this special session to Tennessee Tech University, where students will have the opportunity to observe actual cases argued before the Tennessee Supreme Court.”
The Court session is just one element of the weeklong Boys State program, which is designed to provide rising high school seniors with an immersive experience in state government operations. In addition to learning about the judicial process and studying the cases presented at oral argument, Boys State participants hear from a number of other elected officials in Tennessee. Student delegates also hold mock elections, conduct legislative sessions, and participate in presentations, assemblies, and recreational programs.
Boys State participants will observe oral arguments in two cases beginning at 9:00 a.m. CST on May 28, 2025. The cases will be livestreamed to the TNCourts YouTube page.
The cases that the Court and the students will hear are:
• State v. Ginny Parker - The defendant, Ginny Parker, was charged with five counts of forgery by fraudulently withdrawing $1,230 from the joint bank account of her grandparents, Lloyd and Rose Gordon, by forging the amounts on five checks signed by Mrs. Gordon. After a bench trial, the trial court took the case under advisement and requested that the parties prepare briefs on whether circumstantial evidence could be used to prove that Ms. Parker lacked authorization to write the checks for the amounts she did. After a hearing, the trial court found Ms. Parker guilty on all five counts. Ms. Parker appealed, and the Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed. The Tennessee Supreme Court granted Ms. Parker’s application for permission to appeal to determine whether the evidence was sufficient to support the defendant’s convictions for forgery.
• State v. Antonio Demetrius Adkisson – This case arises from a criminal proceeding that involved a juvenile defendant. On September 27, 2017, officers responded to a fatal shooting at an apartment complex in Milan, Tennessee. A few hours later, the officers took 17-year-old Antonio Demetrius Adkisson into custody for questioning. Mr. Adkisson was advised of his Miranda rights and indicated that he understood them. During a nearly seven-hour long interview, officers told Mr. Adkisson that he could face the death penalty and denied his requests to speak to his mother. Six hours into the questioning, Mr. Adkisson confessed to the shooting and was charged with two counts of first-degree murder. The juvenile court found probable cause that Mr. Adkisson had committed the shooting and transferred him to Circuit Court to be tried as an adult. Before trial, Mr. Adkisson filed a motion to suppress the statements he made to officers during the interview, which the trial court denied. At trial, a jury convicted him of two counts of second-degree murder. The Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction in a divided opinion. The Tennessee Supreme Court granted Mr. Adkisson’s application for permission to appeal to address (1) whether the juvenile court lacked probable cause to transfer the case to Circuit Court; (2) whether the Circuit Court erred by failing to suppress Mr. Adkisson’s statements to police; and (3) whether an order transferring a juvenile defendant to Circuit Court is subject to abuse of discretion or de novo review on appeal.
Media members planning to attend oral arguments should review Supreme Court Rule 30 and file any required requests to:
Samantha Fisher
Communications Director
Administrative Office of the Courts
Samantha.fisher@tncourts.gov
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