JOHNSON CITY – Area high school students have an exciting opportunity early next month.
The Tennessee Supreme Court will be in Johnson City on Tuesday, Dec. 6, for its SCALES
program, short for Supreme Court Advancing Legal Education for Students. The event
is happening at the East Tennessee State University Martin Center for the Arts.
“ETSU is proud to host the Tennessee Supreme Court for what will be a wonderful and
exciting day for many high school students,” said Mark A. Fulks, university counsel
and chief compliance officer at ETSU, who is volunteering at the event.
The SCALES project is an initiative of the Tennessee Supreme Court aimed at educating
high school students about the judicial branch of state government. The program offers
students an opportunity to hear oral arguments for an actual Supreme Court case in
a nearby community.
The program started in 1995. Since then, the SCALES project has served over 30,000
Tennessee students from more than 500 high schools.
Several high schools have signed up to participate, including University School on
the campus of ETSU.
“Our nationally recognized SCALES program is a favorite of all of the justices,” Chief
Justice Roger A. Page said. “We are very grateful to the local judges and attorneys
who are visiting the students prior to the event to ensure they have a solid understanding
of the court system and the cases they will hear. The Supreme Court is looking forward
to interacting with students from East Tennessee and hopes this is a memorable experience
for them.”
The SCALES program was the 2016 recipient of the national Sandra Day O'Connor Award
for the Advancement of Civics Education.