Pierce v. Society of Sisters
Pierce v. Society of Sisters | |
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Case Title | Pierce v. Society of Sisters, 268 U.S. 510 (1925) |
Date | 1925/06/01 |
Appealed | Yes |
Personal Information | |
Taxonomy | |
Link to Ruling | |
Country/Jurisdiction | United States |
State or Province | Oregon |
Regulatory Bodies | |
Decided | Yes |
Arbitrator | US Supreme Court |
Related Laws | Constitution - Amendment XIV, Oreg. Ls. § 5259, Constitution - Amendment I |
Short Summary
Pierce v. Society of Sisters, 268 U.S. 510 (1925), was an early 20th-century United States Supreme Court decision striking down an Oregon statute that required all children to attend public school. The decision significantly expanded coverage of the Due Process Clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution to recognize personal civil liberties. The case has been cited as a precedent in more than 100 Supreme Court cases, including Roe v. Wade, and in more than 70 cases in the courts of appeals.
Background
The issue was whether the Compulsory Education Act violated the liberty of parents to direct the education of their children?
The Compulsory Education Act of 1922 required parents or guardians to send children between the ages of eight and sixteen to public school in the district where the children resided. The Society of Sisters was an Oregon corporation which facilitated care for orphans, educated youths, and established and maintained academies or schools. This case was decided together with Pierce v. Hill Military Academy.
Decision
The unanimous Court held that "the fundamental liberty upon which all governments in this Union repose excludes any general power of the State to standardize its children by forcing them to accept instruction from public teachers only."