Landmark Court Ruling In Dover, PA

Once again, creationism has been challenged in court. And once again, it has lost. Here is the lowdown from the National Center for Science Education:

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A special evolution education update to bring you the news from Harrisburg. The decision in Kitzmiller v. Dover was issued, and the plaintiffs triumphed. In his 139-page decision, Judge John E. Jones III concluded, "The proper application of both the endorsement and Lemon tests to the facts of this case makes it abundantly clear that the Board's ID [Intelligent Design] Policy violates the Establishment Clause. In making this determination, we have addressed the seminal question of whether ID is science. We have concluded that it is not, and moreover that ID cannot uncouple itself from its creationist, and thus religious, antecedents."

The Associated Press reports (December 20, 2005) that Pepper Hamilton's Eric Rothschild, the lead attorney for the families who challenged theDover Area School Board's "intelligent design" policy, described the ruling as "a real vindication for the parents who had the courage to stand up and say there was something wrong in their school district." NCSE agrees, and congratulates the plaintiffs and their lawyers from Pepper Hamilton, the ACLU of Pennsylvania, and Americans United for Separation of Church and State, for their well-deserved victory.

And what do the creationists say?

"The Dover decision is an attempt by an activist federal judge to stop the spread of a scientific idea and even to prevent criticism of Darwinian evolution through government-imposed censorship rather than open debate, and it won't work," said Dr. John West, Associate Director of the Center for Science and Culture at Discovery Institute.

Judge Jones anticipated this response in advance, and pointed out that his court has had a long, distinguished track record of not being an activist court. Not only is this the case, but his appointment was part of the conservative movement to shift the Federal Court system to the right.

Judge John E. Jones III commenced his service as a United States District Judge on August 2, 2002, and was appointed to his current position by none other than President George W. Bush in February, 2002, and was unanimously confirmed by the Republican-controlled United States Senate on July 30, 2002.

In other words, a conservative judge, appointed by a conservative president and a conservative congress, has ruled against Intelligent Design.

So stick that in your pipe and smoke it!

Eric