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Meyer v. Neb., No. 325.,
SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES, June 4, 1923, Decided
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Overview: The teacher, while working in a parochial school, was convicted for teaching the German language to a 10-year old child who had not successfully passed the eighth grade. The state supreme court had held that the statute was a valid exercise of the State's police power. The court reversed, holding that the statute was arbitrary and without reasonable relation to any legitimate State goal. The court further held that the liberty guaranteed by U.S. Const. amend. XIV protected the teacher's right to teach and the right of parents to engage the teacher in educating their children. The court stated that education and acquisition of knowledge were matters of supreme importance that should be diligently promoted. The State could not, under the guise of exercising its police power, interfere with such guaranteed liberty interests. The court found that, by the statute, the legislature was attempting to materially interfere with the calling of modern language teachers, with the opportunities of students to acquire knowledge, and with the power of parents to control the education of their own children. Thus, the teacher's conviction was based on an unconstitutional statute.
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