Wisconsin V. Yoder Case Brief

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

Issue: Did Wisconsin's requirement that all parents send their children to school at least until age 16 violate the First Amendment by criminalizing the conduct of parents who refused to send their children to school for religious reasons?

First Amendment- Free Exercise Clause

Fourteenth Amendment- Due process of State

Facts: In 1971, in the state of Wisconsin, the law was that all students must remain in school until the age of 16. Three Amish families sued the state of Wisconsin over its requirement that children be enrolled in school until the age of sixteen. The parents refused to comply by removing their children from school after they completed the eighth grade. The three Amish students from three different families stopped attending New Glarus High School in the New Glarus, Wisconsin school district at the end of the eighth grade, all due to their parents' religious beliefs. The families claimed that their rights to freely exercising their religion were not being respected. This had violated the law though, set by the government of Wisconsin, and caused this to go on trial in the state court. The three families were represented by Jonas Yoder (one of the fathers involved in the case) when the case went to trial. They were found guilty and each family was fined $5. The Wisconsin Supreme Court, even though in favor of Yoder, then had this case appealed to the US Supreme Court.

Decision: The United States Supreme Court, in a decision of 6 to 2 (2 judges did not take part in case), written and ruled by Justice William O. Douglas in Rehnquist Court, that the Wisconsin law of having children attend school to at least age 16 violated the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment, in which those of certain religion have the right to practice their beliefs of their religion and the state government cannot violate their rights. In conclusion, the ruling of making children attend school to age 16 that could violate some religion/beliefs is unconstitutional.

Reasoning: The Court was convinced that requiring Amish children to attend school past the Eighth grade would substantially burden their religious freedom. The Court also found that the religious groups in question provided a support structure for members of their community that did not require education past the Eighth grade. This addressed the state's concern that inadequately educated persons could eventually become a drain on the rest of society.

Effect on government and society: As a result of the Wisconsin v. Yoder trial, the National Committee for Amish Religious Freedom was made. Reverend William C. Lindholm was the founder of this organization due to his interest in Amish rights. The mission statement of this group is: "To defend and preserve the religious freedom