American Legion Boys State delegates from high schools in all 95 counties will participate Wednesday, May 31, in the SCALES Program, an acronym for the Supreme Court Advancing Legal Education for Students. SCALES is a Tennessee Supreme Court initiative designed to educate young Tennesseans about the judicial branch of government.
The 650 students will attend a special Supreme Court session at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville as part of the week-long Boys State program, sponsored by The American Legion. The boys, who are in the top one-third of their high school classes, will hear oral arguments in two actual Supreme Court cases.
Circuit Court Judge John Maddux of Cookeville is coordinating the SCALES Project at Boys State. More than 15,500 students from public and private schools across the state have taken part in SCALES since the Supreme Court initiated it in 1995.
"Boys State delegates are leaders in their schools, which means they probably will continue to be interested and involved citizens,” Chief Justice William M. Barker said. “SCALES provides them with an opportunity to see the judicial branch of government and how it affects their lives. The program helps these young Tennesseans become better-informed leaders.”
Issues in the cases students will hear at Boys State include whether a defendant’s sentence should be null and void because the trial judge erroneously noted that he would be eligible for parole after serving 85 percent of his sentence, when he would be required by law to serve 100 percent. The students also will hear a case in which the issue involves a vague search warrant affidavit.
Each SCALES participant will receive a handbook containing information about the state and federal court systems and the two cases. In addition, Maddux and other lawyers and judges will conduct educational sessions with the students.
