Case Categories: Creationism / Intelligent Design and Separation of Church and State

Creationism and intelligent design are religious beliefs that have sometimes resulted in questions about what can be taught in public schools about the origin of life without violating the First Amendment's "establishment" clause, or separation of church and state.

Following are court cases related to these issues:

• Edwards v. Aguillard (1987)

  Edwards v. Aguillard (1987) said a state law mandating teaching “creation science” alongside evolution in public school violated the First Amendment's...

• Epperson v. Arkansas (1968)

  Epperson v. Arkansas (1968) struck down a state law that criminalized the teaching of evolution in public schools, finding that the law violated the First...

• Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District (M.D. Pa.) (2005)

  In Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District (M.D. Pa. 2005), a judge ruled that requiring teachers to teach both Intelligent Design and evolution violated the...