Cobb evolution stickers declared unconstitutional
13th January 2005
By Bill Rankin, Kristina Torres
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 01/13/05
A federal judge in Atlanta has declared unconstitutional the evolution disclaimers placed inside science text books by the Cobb County school system and ordered the “stickers” removed immediately.
In a ruling issued today, U.S. District Judge Clarence Cooper said the stickers, which call evolution “a theory, not a fact,” violate the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
“Adopted by the school board, funded by the money of taxpayers, and inserted by school personnel, the sticker conveys an impermissible message of endorsement and tells some citizens that they are political outsiders while telling others they are political insiders,” Cooper wrote in a 44-page decision. The stickers send “a message that the school board agrees with the beliefs of Christian fundamentalists and creationists,” Cooper said. “The school board has effectively improperly entangled itself with religion by appearing to take a position. Therefore, the sticker must be removed from all of the textbooks into which it has been placed.”