The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee – Chattanooga Division and the Chattanooga Chapter of the Federal Bar Association are inviting high school students in 17 area counties to participate in the annual civics essay contest.
The prompt for this year’s contest is a question the Supreme Court will soon discuss: When is a police officer’s use of deadly force reasonable?
Students are invited to share their views on which factors a court should consider when deciding if an officer’s use of force was reasonable or excessive.
The contest is open to public, private and home school students in eighth to 12th grade in Bedford, Bledsoe, Bradley, Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Hamilton, Lincoln, McMinn, Marion, Meigs, Moore, Polk, Rhea, Sequatchie, Warren and Van Buren counties.
Entries for the contest must be postmarked or emailed by March 14. Email submissions should be
sent to chattcivicsessay@gmail.com. Entries should be mailed to:
Civics Essay Contest
Attn: Kelly L. Walsh
U.S. Courthouse
900 Georgia Avenue
Chattanooga, TN 37402
All entries must include a physically or electronically signed submission form. Three high school winners will be selected and receive cash prizes. The winners will be announced in early April.
The winning students and their parents and teachers will be invited to a reception at the courthouse with members of the selection committee.
The full essay prompt, requirements and additional materials are available at connections.tned.uscourts.gov/participate.html. Direct questions to Walsh at 423 386-3523 or via email.