A very good day for science

The ruling in the Dover intelligent design case is out, and Judge Jones came out unequivocally on the side of science.

In a 139-page decision, he declared the teaching of ID to violate the establishment clause. Right now, I'm in the throes of dissertation research, and don't have time to go through it in detail, although on breaks I've been going over to PZ's blog to watch the merriment. You can read about it in more detail there, but briefly, Judge Jones detailed the unconstitutionality of the previous Dover School Board's policy, pointed out their lies and their waste of resources in instituting it, and wrote a detailed and cogent opinion that should stand up against any (unlikely) attempt to appeal it. He also anticipated the spin that's already coming out about "activist judges" and censorship. It's great to see the good guys win in this case.

It was doubly good in light of another initiative for teaching research literacy in the complementary medicine community I just learned about. More about that if and when I am at liberty to disclose it (I don't think it's public-domain knowledge yet), but following quickly in sequence like that, these two latest events make me more optimistic for the future of science teaching in America.