Wisconsin v Yoder

Question 1

Facts of case

Answer 1

Members of the Old Order Amish religion, and Adin Yutzy, a member of the Conservative Amish Mennonite Church, were prosecuted under a Wisconsin law that required all children to attend public schools until age 16. The 3 parents refused to send their children to such schools after the eighth grade, arguing that high school attendance was contrary to their religious beliefs.

Question 2

Holdings and rationale

Answer 2

The Court held that an individual’s interests in the free exercise of religion under the First Amendment outweighed the State’s interests in compelling school attendance. The Court found that the values and programs of secondary school were “in sharp conflict with the fundamental mode of life mandated by the Amish religion,”. An additional 1 or 2 years of high school wouldn’t produce the benefits of public education cited by Wisconsin to justify the law. Justice William O. Douglas filed a partial dissent but joined with the majority regarding Yoder

Question 3

Keywords

Answer 3

In 1972, compelling Amish students to attend school past the eighth grade violates the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment.