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==ACLU, Evolution, and the Establishment Clause==

==ACLU, Evolution, and the Establishment Clause==

The ACLU filed a lawsuit, ''[[Selman v. Cobb County School District]]'', against a school district in Cobb County, Georgia, for putting stickers in biology textbooks that said, "This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered."<ref>Ariel Hart, "Stickers Put in Evolution Text Are the Subject of a Federal Trial," New York Times, November 9, 2004</ref> The ACLU lawsuit was ostensibly in behalf of indignant parents, but any monetary award would be paid to the ACLU. The trial judge ruled in favor of the ACLU,<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/01/13/evolution.textbooks.ruling/</ref> but his ruling was vacated on appeal.<ref>http://www.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/ops/200510341.pdf</ref> The case was eventually settled, with the stickers being removed, and the school district agreeing that it would never again make "any disclaimers regarding evolution orally, in writing, or by any other means".<ref>Cobb County School District press release, consent judgment, and order.[http://www.cobb.k12.ga.us/news/2006/20061219_StickerAgreement.pdf]</ref> An ACLU press release suggested that its motives were to "ensure that their children receive proper science education" and to stop any message that evolutionists are political outsiders.<ref>http://www.aclu.org/religion/intelligentdesign/27745prs20061219.html</ref> But the ACLU did not mention that it also demanded huge attorney fees and collected $166,659 for its lawyers from the school district.<ref>http://www.georgiascience.org/2006/12/21/board-right-to-finally-pull-plug-on-sticker-case/</ref>

In 2004, the ACLU filed [[Selman v. Cobb County School District]].<ref>ACLU:  Parents Challenge Evolution Disclaimer In Georgia Textbooks [http://www.aclu.org/religion/schools/16381prs20041112.html]</ref>  If the plaintiffs, five parents in the Georgia district, won the case, the school district would have to pay their lawyers.  The ACLU argued <ref>ACLU Pretrial Brief in Selman et al v. Cobb County, 11/12/2004 [http://www.aclu.org/FilesPDFs/ACFB940.pdf]</ref> that the district had violated the [[Establishment clause]] of the [[U.S. Constitution]] by putting stickers in biology textbooks that said, "This textbook contains material on [[evolution]]. Evolution is a [[theory]], not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered."<ref>Judge's Decision, Selman v. Cobb County School District[http://news.findlaw.com/cnn/docs/religion/selmancobb11305ord.pdf]</ref> The trial judge ruled in favor of the ACLU <ref>Judge's Decision, Selman v. Cobb County School District[http://news.findlaw.com/cnn/docs/religion/selmancobb11305ord.pdf]</ref>, but his ruling was vacated on appeal.<ref>Appeal Decision, Selman v. Cobb County School District[http://www.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/ops/200510341.pdf]</ref> The case was eventually settled.  The school district agreed to remove the stickers, to avoid altering science textbooks or making "any disclaimers regarding evolution", and to teach the state Board of Education's core curriculum, which includes evolution, although that wasn't under dispute in the original suit.  In addition, they paid $166,669.12 to Atlanta law firm Bondurant, Mixon & Elmore.<ref>"Agreement Ends Textbook Sticker Case", press release from Cobb County School District including settlement agreement [http://www.cobb.k12.ga.us/news/2006/20061219_StickerAgreement.pdf]</ref> <ref>ACLU: Georgia School Board Drops Defense of Anti-Evolution Stickers[http://www.aclu.org/religion/intelligentdesign/27745prs20061219.html]</ref>  

Another example of ACLU litigation was ''[[Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District]].''<ref>Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District:   

Another example of ACLU litigation was ''[[Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District]].''<ref>Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District: