Teaching the theory in public schools violates Constitution,
judge rules. WASHINGTON AND BOSTON "Intelligent design" is just
another name for creationism - and therefore teaching it in
public schools violates the constitutional principle of church-
state separation. That is the bottom line from the decision in
perhaps the biggest courtroom clash on the theory of evolution
since the 1925 Scopes trial. On Tuesday a federal judge ruled
that Pennsylvania's Dover Area School District broke the law
when it became one of the first school districts in the United
States to include intelligent design in its science curriculum.
The ruling is a blow to certain Christian conservatives, who
have been pushing intelligent-design initiatives in upwards of
30 states. It comes as vindication for scientists who have seen
this push as an attack on the method of scientific inquiry.
"What's ... important about this case is that it validates the
separation of church and state," says Lawrence Krauss, professor
of physics and astronomy