Judge Orders TSA Presence at New Mexico Prom for Student Pat-Downs

There's a new Disney teen movie out called "Prom." The title is self-explanatory. But what you won't see in that movie is what one judge ordered at a real-life prom in Santa Fe, NM this past weekend: a TSA presence during pat-downs for dance-goers.

The judge's order, however, isn't what it seems like at first glance. Instead, it's a little more, well, ironic. Despite the TSA's reputation for getting frisky with travelers, the judge ordered a certified TSA official to oversee pat-downs at one Santa Fe high school in order to prevent that very conduct. That's because students at two other local high schools filed a lawsuit alleging they were "groped" by non-TSA screeners at earlier dances.

On Friday, KOAT-TV explained the reasoning behind the order:

But when the time came on Saturday for the TSA official to show up, he didn't. That's not because he failed to report, but because the high school didn't have time to comply with the order:

That the judge would order the TSA to be a part of the searches is curious. Not only did screeners come under heavy scrutiny last fall for their "enhanced pat-down" procedures, but just this spring there have been plenty of complaints levied against the agency. For example, last month former Miss USA Susie Castillo said she was "molested" by an agent in Dallas. Additionally, an agent was caught on video giving a 6-year-old girl a very thorough pat-down in New Orleans, while other pictures emerged of an 8-year-old boy receiving a similar screening in Portland.