Freiler v. Tangipahoa Parish Board of Education
Encyclopedia
Freiler v. Tangipahoa Parish Board of Education was United States federal court case on the constitutionality
of a policy requiring teachers to read aloud a disclaimer whenever they taught about evolution.
In 1987 the Supreme Court of the United States
ruled in the case of Edwards v. Aguillard
(482 U.S. 587) that the teaching of "creation science
" constituted an establishment of religion and thus violated the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
In April 1994 the School Board of Tangipahoa
, Louisiana
adopted a policy mandating that a disclaimer was to be presented before any discussion of evolutionary biology. The policy was:
Parents sued the school board for violating the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution and won in 1997 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The schoolboard appealed and the decision was upheld by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
on January 24, 2000.
The schoolboard then appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States
who on June 19, 2000 declined to hear the case in a 6-3 decision, thereby allowing the lower court decision to stand. Three conservative members of the Supreme Court dissented; Antonin Scalia
and William Rehnquist
, who had also dissented from the decision in Edwards v. Aguillard
were joined by 1991 George H.W. Bush appointee Clarence Thomas
.
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
of a policy requiring teachers to read aloud a disclaimer whenever they taught about evolution.
In 1987 the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
ruled in the case of Edwards v. Aguillard
Edwards v. Aguillard
Edwards v. Aguillard, was a legal case about the teaching of creationism that was heard by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1987. The Court ruled that a Louisiana law requiring that creation science be taught in public schools, along with evolution, was unconstitutional because the law...
(482 U.S. 587) that the teaching of "creation science
Creation science
Creation Science or scientific creationism is a branch of creationism that attempts to provide scientific support for the Genesis creation narrative in the Book of Genesis and disprove generally accepted scientific facts, theories and scientific paradigms about the history of the Earth, cosmology...
" constituted an establishment of religion and thus violated the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
In April 1994 the School Board of Tangipahoa
Tangipahoa, Louisiana
Tangipahoa is a village in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 747 at the 2000 census. It was named after the Native American tribe of the Tangipahoa.Tangipahoa is part of the Hammond Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
adopted a policy mandating that a disclaimer was to be presented before any discussion of evolutionary biology. The policy was:
Parents sued the school board for violating the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution and won in 1997 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The schoolboard appealed and the decision was upheld by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Eastern District of Louisiana* Middle District of Louisiana...
on January 24, 2000.
The schoolboard then appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
who on June 19, 2000 declined to hear the case in a 6-3 decision, thereby allowing the lower court decision to stand. Three conservative members of the Supreme Court dissented; Antonin Scalia
Antonin Scalia
Antonin Gregory Scalia is an American jurist who serves as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. As the longest-serving justice on the Court, Scalia is the Senior Associate Justice...
and William Rehnquist
William Rehnquist
William Hubbs Rehnquist was an American lawyer, jurist, and political figure who served as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States and later as the 16th Chief Justice of the United States...
, who had also dissented from the decision in Edwards v. Aguillard
Edwards v. Aguillard
Edwards v. Aguillard, was a legal case about the teaching of creationism that was heard by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1987. The Court ruled that a Louisiana law requiring that creation science be taught in public schools, along with evolution, was unconstitutional because the law...
were joined by 1991 George H.W. Bush appointee Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Succeeding Thurgood Marshall, Thomas is the second African American to serve on the Court....
.