More than 800 students from 17 public and private high schools in Benton, Carroll, Decatur, Hardin and Henry counties will participate April 14-15 in a program developed by the state Supreme Court to educate young Tennesseans about the judicial branch of government.
The students and their teachers will attend special Supreme Court sessions at the Henry and Hardin County Courthouses where the five justices will hear oral arguments in actual cases. The students will be divided into five groups, with each group hearing one case argued before the Supreme Court. Following oral arguments, students will meet for question and answer sessions with the attorneys who argued their cases.
Students hearing cases April 14 in Paris will be guests for lunch with the Supreme Court at First Methodist Church, sponsored by the Henry, Carroll and Benton County Bar Associations and the community. Those attending the program April 15 in Savannah will join the court and other guests for lunch at the Savannah Church of Christ, sponsored by the community.
Schools participating April 14 in SCALES - an acronym for the Supreme Court Advancing Legal Education for Students - are Henry County, Lakeside Christian, Camden Christian, Bruceton Central, Huntingdon, Clarksburg, West Carroll, Camden Central, Big Sandy, McKenzie, Calvary Christian and Grace Christian High Schools and Carroll Academy. Schools participating April 15 in Savannah are Hardin County, Harbert Hills, Riverside and Scotts Hill High Schools. The SCALES Project is being coordinated in Paris by General Sessions Court Judge Hansel McCadams and in Savannah by Circuit Court Judge Creed McGinley. Circuit Court Judge Julian Guinn is presiding judge in the five-county 24th Judicial District.
"The Tennessee Supreme Court believes that knowledge and understanding of the judicial branch of government are essential to good citizenship,” Chief Justice Riley Anderson said. “The SCALES Project is designed to educate young participants about the system they will inherit. The interaction we have with the students at lunch and throughout the day also renews our faith that our nation’s future is in good hands.”
Teachers whose classes are involved in the project will attend a professional development session from 1-4 p.m. Tuesday, March 30, at Riverside High School in Parsons. Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Jerry Smith will discuss the state and federal court systems and present an overview of the cases to be argued when students attend SCALES. Teachers also will be provided with notebooks of materials to use in their classrooms, including suggested activities, and SCALES Project handbooks for each student.
Local judges and attorneys will attend the inservice 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.
Students attending the Supreme Court session will receive scales of justice lapel pins donated by the William J. Harbison Foundation of the Tennessee Bar Association. The foundation, established to honor the memory of a former state Supreme Court justice, promotes the education of students about the legal system.
"The SCALES Project is important because it creates a partnership between the judiciary and schools to promote a better understanding of the judicial branch of government," the chief justice said. "We hope that teachers will use the materials to make judicial education a continuing part of their curriculum."
Including SCALES in the 24th Judicial District, more than 7,000 Tennessee students from 187 schools have taken part in the project since it was initiated by the state Supreme Court in 1995.