Judge John E. Jones, III
Speaks at Meredith College
Meghan Grady, Staff Writer
On Tuesday, March 23,
2010, the Honorable Judge John E.
Jones, III spoke on “Our Constitu
tion’s Intelligent Design” in Mer
edith College’s Jones Auditorium
to members of the student body,
faculty, and general public. Judge
Jones is a graduate of Dickinson
College, as well as Dickinson School
of Law located in Carlisle, Penn
sylvania. It should be noted that in
May 2006, Judge Jones was named
to Time magazine’s “100 World’s
Most Influential People” list. As
marked by Meredith College, he
received a Rave Award for Policy
from Wired Magazine, and he was
the recipient of the first John Mar
shall Judicial Independence Award,
presented by the Pennsylvania Bar
Association. Jones is a member of
the Board of Directors of the Fed
eral Judges Association.
Jones became a United
States District Judge in August
2002 and sits in the Middle Dis
trict of Pennsylvania. He is the
21st judge to hold this office, and
he received his position with a
unanimous vote of approval by the
United States Senate on July 30,
2002 following his appointment by
former president George W. Bush
in Februaiy 2002. In this posi
tion, he was the presiding judge
over Kitzmiller vs. Dover School
District—a controversial court case
dealing with the legalities of evolu
tion about which he lectured last
Tuesday evening.
Kitzmiller vs. Dover School
District was a lawsuit that sought
declaratory and injunctive relief.
In this case, eleven parents of stu
dents in Dover, Pennsylvania sued
the Dover School District. The par
ents’ filed the suit in response to a
requirement by the school board
that all ninth- grade students must
be read a statement by their teach
ers concerning intelligent design
prior to their lessons in evolution.
Intelligent design was required to
be stated as an additional option to
evolutionary theory of the origin of
life. The intelligent design mandate
by the board was refused bj' some
teachers who would not read the
statement in their classrooms.
The Center of Science and
Design states that, “The theory of
intelligent design holds that certain
features of the universe and of liv
ing things are best explained by an
intelligent cause, not an undirected
process such as natural selection.”
The plaintiffs found this require
ment to be in violation of the
Establishment Clause of the First
Amendment of the Constitution, as
they believed intelligent design is a
form of creationism, and to assert
any form of creationism would be
overriding the separation of church
and state. The eleven parents who
filed suit wanted an injunction
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to this policy, declaring that it be
removed from public schools.
Judge Jones heard testi
mony from experts on both sides of
the case. In the end, he ruled that
the discussion of intelligent design
in public classrooms was unconsti
tutional and violated the Establish
ment Clause. During his discussion
at Meredith he stated that “Intel
ligent design is the grandchild,
son, or daughter of creationism,”
and that it is obviously ai theory of
religious origin. Judge Jones also
discussed the legal tests used to
evaluate a scientific theory in court,
arguing that theories must be falsifi-
able and in agreement with current
scientific opinion and methodology.
Intelligent design failed all of these
tests, therefore it deserved no place
in the science classes of public high
schools in the district.. This ruling
came as a shock to some, as Jones is
a republican known to be conserva
tive.
“Evolution” is a course
offered here at Meredith College
taught by biology professor. Dr.
Francie Cuffney. Recent discus
sions in her evolution course have
focused on what actually makes
science a science. Science can be
tested and falsified. One of the goals
of science is that there can be trial
Experience “The
Thinker” at the N.C.
Museum of Art
Anna Turner, Staff Writer
One of the North Carolina Mu
seum of Art’s newest exhibits includes
a one-ton bronze cast of Rodin's “The
Thinker.■' The museum offers a unique
opportunity for visitors to view a collec
tion of Auguste Rodin’s work. Accord
ing to WRi\L, this is the largest Rodin
sculpture display ever exhibited in the
Southeast. It is also the largest Rodin ex
hibition seen in the United States in two
decades.
Many assume that “The Thinker”
is simply a statue of a man who, with
his head on his hand, is pondering life’s
questions. However, author and art
critic, David Steele, believes that Rodin
sculpted “The Thinker” in the likeness
of poet, Dante Alighieri, who wrote The
Divine Comedy. Steele explains that “The
Thinker” is actually Dante, thinking of
the poem he is about to write.
Visitors can view Rodin’s col
lection through April 13. This e.xhibit is
part of a four-month-long festival that
; is celebrated at art museums across the
i Triangle called Festival Rodin. Visitors
can purchase a Super Pass that will let
them into the Rodin exhibit at the North
Carolina Museum of Art, the Museum of
Natural Sciences, Exploris, and Museum
of Sciences in Durham.
The Super Pass is $15 for adults
and $5 for children. Regular admission
into the exhibit at the N.C. Museum of
Ai-t is $7.50 for adults, $5.50 for senior
citizens, and free for children under 12.
and error experiments conducted to form
facts about an organism. Scientific results
are also published and peer-reviewed. These
points were addressed by Dr, Cuffney and
other panel speakers which included History
and Political Science professor. Dr. Clyde
Frazier, Religion and Philosophy professor.
Dr. Steven Benko, Education professor. Dr.
Monica Mckinney and moderator Dr. Matt
Stutz, professor of Chemistry, Physics, and
Geosciences at a panel discussion that took
place on Monday, March 22. At this event, a
video highlighted a similar case, Kansas vs.
Darwin followed by the panel discussion.
This landmark case along with
Judge Jones’ ruling was the first of its kind
in determining whether or not intelligent
design should enter the classroom, but as
Judge Jones mentioned it will certainly
not be the last. This topic contains a highly
controversial combination of government
and religion—a volatile mixture that is sure
to reach courts again soon.