Epperson v. Arkansas
1968 United States Supreme Court case / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Epperson v. Arkansas, 393 U.S. 97 (1968), was a landmark United States Supreme Court case that invalidated an Arkansas statute prohibiting the teaching of human evolution in the public schools.[1] The Court held that the First Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits a state from requiring, in the words of the majority opinion, "that teaching and learning must be tailored to the principles or prohibitions of any religious sect or dogma." The Supreme Court declared the Arkansas statute unconstitutional because it violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. After this decision, some jurisdictions passed laws that required the teaching of creation science alongside evolution when evolution was taught. These were also ruled unconstitutional by the Court in the 1987 case Edwards v. Aguillard.[2]
Epperson v. Arkansas | |
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Argued October 16, 1968 Decided November 12, 1968 | |
Full case name | Susan Epperson, et al. v. Arkansas |
Citations | 393 U.S. 97 (more) 89 S. Ct. 266; 21 L. Ed. 2d 228; 1968 U.S. LEXIS 328 |
Case history | |
Prior | Appeal from the Supreme Court of Arkansas |
Subsequent | None |
Holding | |
States may not require curricula to align with the views of any particular religion. | |
Court membership | |
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Case opinions | |
Majority | Fortas, joined by Warren, Douglas, Brennan, White, Marshall |
Concurrence | Black |
Concurrence | Harlan |
Concurrence | Stewart |
Laws applied | |
U.S. Const. amend. I, amend. XIV |