Evolution and the Law
Index
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Evolution is perhaps the only area of science which has been transformed into a legal issue on which courts around the country have had to render decisions. No one initiates lawsuits over the teaching of gravity, physics, chemistry, or any other part of the science curriculum. It's also highly unlikely to find heated legislative debates over the status of such topics in public schools, and that makes evolution relatively unusual.
It is worth understanding the various ways in which legislatures have attempted to modify or restrict the teaching of evolution because these efforts represent an attack on the very basis of science education in America - and all on behalf of a vocal religious agenda. It is also worth understanding how the courts have been forced to addresses the question of teaching science and religion in public schools, weighing parental rights against good science.
In the end, it is arguable that creationism and attempts by creationists to eliminate the teaching of evolution have little to do with science but quite a lot to do with law, religion, politics, and society. Thus, it may be even more important to talk about the legal, religious, political, and social dimensions of creationism than about its scientific qualities.
-->Who Cares?
Does it really matter if legislatures try to limit or eliminate the teaching of evolution? Is it all that important when school boards try to force science teachers to include non-scientific theories about the development of life alongside evolution in their lessons? Yes, it is important - and people who care about science and/or religion should also care about this.The Scopes Monkey Trial
The Scopes Monkey Trial is one of the most (in)famous and celebrated legal cases in American history. It is one of the earliest cases to receive the label "trial of the century," applied so often that if it were true America would be in its third millennium by now rather than it's third century. It's strange in some ways that this case would become so famous, because it was a relatively minor legal manner involving little money in a small town in Tennessee.What is "Balanced Treatment"?
Although not heard quite as often today, calls for "Balanced Treatment" were once a fundamental aspect of creationist attempts to insert their beliefs into science classes across the country. Through such efforts they hoped that not only would scientific creationism receive more widespread acceptance, but also that evolution would slowly wither away and die.Textbook Disclaimers
Because efforts to have creationism taught alongside evolution in public science classes have failed so often, creationists have had to seek out other means of achieving their social and political goal of having evolutionary science weakened and eventually replaced by their religious beliefs. One of the most common in recent years has been to have "disclaimers" placed in school science textbooks.The Case of Kansas
It seems that Kansas has had more than it's share of problems regarding evolution, as state school board members keep trying to prevent evolution from being taught in the public schools. Learn more about what has gone on and why.Ohio and Intelligent Design
Some people in Ohio want the public schools there to teach about "Intelligent Design" - but why? How would this proposal affect science education?Supreme Court Decisions: Overview
This analysis of Supreme Court Decisions reviews the basic questions which that court has had to confront and why it has reached certain decisionsLower Court Decisions: Overview
Most legal conflicts over creationism and evolution never reach the Supreme Court. Those which have been decided in lower courts are also important, and this overview takes a look at how lower courts have applied the legal reasoning found in Supreme Court decisions.Court Decisions: Summaries
Learn more about the actual decisions themselves - this index takes you through several cases decided in various courts, summarizing the facts, the decision, and the impact.
