Caldwell v. Roseville Joint Union High School District et al.

In July of 2003, a policy requiring teachers to discuss the "scientific strengths and weaknesses" of evolution was proposed to the school board of the Roseville Joint Union High School District, by a parent named Larry Caldwell. The district's science teachers, administration, and finally the school board all rejected this policy, as well as antievolution supplemental teaching materials provided by Caldwell and others.

In January of 2005, Caldwell sued the district and certain of its administrators, claiming that he was unconstitutionally obstructed from promoting and discussing his educational policies, leading to the violation of his freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and equal protection rights. Caldwell eventually amended his complaint four times, twice at the bidding of the court.

District Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr. ultimately dismissed all of Caldwell's complaints, in two rulings issued on October 25, 2005 and September 7, 2007.

In the spring of 2005, NCSE's executive director Eugenie Scott wrote an article on creationist activity in California for the magazine California Wild. This article touched on Caldwell and the Roseville case, and Caldwell subsequently sued Dr. Scott and the NCSE for libel. However, he later withdrew this lawsuit without comment.

All the legal documentation available to us for Caldwell v. Roseville JUHSD et al. is provided at the bottom of this page. It is arranged in chronological order.

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