McKeiver appealed his case to the Supreme Court on the grounds that he had been treated unfairly because he had asked for a jury trial and the judge had denied his request. Juvenile court proceedings are similiar to a criminal trial and all of the same rights should be granted, not just some rights. Therefore, they should have the right to have their case heard by a jury rather than by a judge only. A jury would make juvenile hearing's more like formal criminal trials. Jury trials would destroy the ideal of juvenile proceedings as a protective method of handling young people.
Jury trials make the juvenile system more costly and slow it down.
Juveniles would have to wait longer to have their cases heard.