Home > Great American Court Cases > Epperson v. Arkansas

Legal Citation: 393 U.S. 97 (1968)

Appellant
Susan Epperson

Appellee
State of Arkansas

Appellant's Claim
Arkansas law stating one can not teach evolution is unconstitutional.

Chief Lawyer for Appellant
Eugene R. Warren

Chief Lawyer for Appellee
Don Langston, Assistant Attorney General of Arkansas

Justices for the Court
Hugo Lafayette Black, William J. Brennan, Jr., William O. Douglas, Abe Fortas (writing for the Court), John Marshall Harlan II, Thurgood Marshall, Potter Stewart, Earl Warren

Justices Dissenting
None

Place
Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision
12 November 1968

Decision
The law against the teaching of evolution is unconstitutional.

Significance
The decision demanded that governments refuse to favor any particular religion or...