American Legion Boys State delegates from high schools in all 95 counties will participate Wednesday, May 28, 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 18,758 students from 403 public and private schools across the state have taken part in SCALES since the Supreme Court initiated it in 1995.
"These young people are our nation’s future leaders,” Chief Justice William M. Barker said. “The SCALES Program gives them an opportunity to see first-hand how the judicial branch of government functions. For some, it may inspire them to become part of the legal profession as lawyers and judges.”
Issues in the cases students will hear at Boys State include whether police legally entered and searched a motel room after receiving a complaint about fumes and smelling a strong odor. The occupant of the room was arrested and indicted for the manufacture of methamphetamine and other drug-related charges. The second case the court will consider involves whether a murder defendant’s post-Miranda statement to police should have been suppressed.
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.