Juvenile defendants present special challenges to the court system. Should juveniles have the same legal rights and protections as adults? If so, should they face the same punishments, including the death penalty? Are there special steps that should be taken when the courts deal with juvenile defendants charged with crimes that would be felonies if committed by an adult?

The case of Shawn Paul Novak v. Commonwealth involved a 16-year-old capital murder defendant facing the death penalty. The case progressed from the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court to the Circuit Court for trial, then through three appellate courts (the Court of Appeals, Supreme Court of Virginia, and the U. S. Supreme Court). The defendant challenged, at trial and on appeal, the constitutionality of his prosecution as an adult and alleged violations of his constitutional rights to due process and equal protection.