Victory!

[steuard]

I have lots of actual work to do, and odds are good that everyone who cares has already heard the news, but I've got to take a moment to celebrate the tremendous victory for science education that was just handed down in the Kitzmiller trial on "Intelligent Design" creationism in Dover, Pennsylvania.

I haven't read the full legal decision yet (it's long!), but some choice quotes from The Panda's Thumb give the flavor of the thing. The judge's decision is unambiguous and very broad:

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 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.

He states that the school board members who instituted the policy were irresponsible and even dishonest in doing so:

The citizens of the Dover area were poorly served by the members of the Board who voted for the ID Policy. It is ironic that several of these individuals, who so staunchly and proudly touted their religious convictions in public, would time and again lie to cover their tracks and disguise the real purpose behind the ID Policy.

And he makes it clear that this decision is in no way intended to censor the study and discussion of ID in society at large:

With that said, we do not question that many of the leading advocates of ID have bona fide and deeply held beliefs which drive their scholarly endeavors. Nor do we controvert that ID should continue to be studied, debated, and discussed. As stated, our conclusion today is that it is unconstitutional to teach ID as an alternative to evolution in a public school science classroom.

This is pretty much the best-case outcome of this case for those who support the teaching of legitimate science in schools. And I think it's quite significant that the decision came from a judge who was appointed by George W. Bush and who has close ties to many conservative politicians (take a look at comment #4 on this ID blog entry for a clear statement of that).

This is a good day for science education in America. I hope that this decision helps to give actual science teachers a bit of breathing room before the inevitable next round of attacks begins.