What was the Epperson decision?

In Epperson v. Arkansas, 393 U.S. 97 (1968), the Supreme Court unanimously struck down an Arkansas law that criminalized the teaching of evolution in public schools.

How was the free exercise clause incorporated?

Once a fundamental right has been incorporated, it protects persons from unconstitutional laws and actions of their state and local governments and not just the federal government. The free exercise clause was incorporated in the 1940 case of Cantwell v. Connecticut.

What two religious concepts did the Court find were protected by the First Amendment?

The First Amendment has two provisions concerning religion: the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause.

Who was Epperson?

Epperson, a public school teacher, sued, claiming the law violated her First Amendment right to free speech as well as the Establishment Clause. The State Chancery Court ruled that it violated her free speech rights; the State Supreme Court reversed.

What did Cantwell v Connecticut do?

Connecticut, case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on May 20, 1940, ruled unconstitutional a Connecticut statute that required individuals making door-to-door religious solicitations to obtain a state license.

What happened in Cantwell vs Connecticut?

Who won Cantwell v Connecticut?

In a unanimous decision, the Court held the Cantwells’ actions were protected by the First and Fourteenth Amendments. Writing for the Court, Justice Owen Roberts reasoned that while general regulations on solicitation were legitimate, restrictions based on religious grounds were not.

What happened Everson v Board of Education?

Board of Education, 330 U.S. 1 (1947), the Supreme Court ruled as constitutional a New Jersey statute allocating taxpayer funds to bus children to religious schools — because it did not breach the “wall of separation” between church and state — and held that the establishment clause of the First Amendment applied to …