Attorney to speak at Pitt

An attorney who argued in the landmark Intelligent Design case Tammy Kitzmiller vs. Dover Area… An attorney who argued in the landmark Intelligent Design case Tammy Kitzmiller vs. Dover Area School District against the Dover School Board is hosting a lecture on campus next week.

Witold Walczak, the American Civil Liberties Union’s lead attorney for the case, will speak about the case in his lecture titled “Evolution Shmevolution: The Dover Intelligent Design Trial and Why It Matters” on Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. in the Parran Hall Auditorium of the Graduate School of Public Health. The free event is open to all.

Walczak, the Legal Director for the ACLU of Pennsylvania, was one of three lead attorneys to argue against the School Board in Kitzmiller vs. Dover. Both the ACLU and law firm Pepper Hamilton collaborated on the case.

Last year, Dover, Pa., made national and international headlines when its local school board decided to include the teaching of Intelligent Design in its science curriculum.

Intelligent Design states that the universe is too complex to have been created solely by chance, as evolution states, and that a higher being created the universe and continues to control nature.

The Dover Area School District was the first in the country to pass such a policy.

The change in policy caused 11 parents to sue the school district, arguing that Intelligent Design brings religion into the classroom, a violation of the First Amendment. Judge John E. Jones III ruled in favor of the parent group, calling Intelligent Design “a religious view, a mere relabeling of creationism and not a scientific theory,” in his 139-page ruling.

“One problem with Intelligent Design is that it’s been shown to be a part of a religious view different from the view that many people hold about how God works,” Walczak said. “Many people believe that God set up the Earth and, after that, he doesn’t tinker with what goes on down here.”

“Schools shouldn’t teach students how God works,” said Walczak, who believes it’s up to parents to approach such a subject with their children.

During the lecture, Walczak plans to discuss the case, the theory of Intelligent Design and how it’s playing out nationally.

“I think the judge’s decision will discourage people from trying to implement Intelligent Design in school curriculums,” said Walczak, who, despite this, believes the Dover case is not the last of its kind.

“We’re seeing evidence of similar situations beginning to arise in states like Ohio, Kentucky, Utah and Texas,” he added.