America’s Most Famous Court Trial

At Liberty

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4.8 • 585 Ratings

🗓️ 8 August 2025

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This summer marks the 100th anniversary of the Scopes trial, a Tennessee case where science and religion squared off in court — and the whole country tuned in. This week, the ACLU’s Daniel Mach joins Kamau to discuss the landmark trial, how it shaped our contemporary understanding of religious freedom in the United States, and what the Constitution actually says about the separation between church and state. One note is that this episode was recorded just before a court ruled that an Arkansas law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public schools is unconstitutional. This is a victory for religious freedom. It is also a reminder that this freedom is increasingly under threat. To learn more about this case and others like it, visit aclu.org Daniel Mach is the director of the ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief. Our senior executive producer is Sam Riddell. This episode was executive produced by Jessica Herman Weitz for the ACLU, and W. Kamau Bell, Kelly Rafferty, PhD, and Melissa Hudson Bell, PhD for Who Knows Best Productions. It was recorded at Skyline Studios in Oakland, CA. At Liberty is edited and produced by Erica Getto and Myrriah Gossett for Good Get.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey everybody, it's me, W. Kamau Bell.
0:05.1	I'm saying my name's slower because I say it too fast.
0:07.8	Welcome back to the ASLEU's podcast at Liberty.
0:11.7	Here we explore the big questions on the big issues affecting our big country
0:16.5	and especially our hardest hit and most vulnerable communities.
0:20.4	And by tuning in, you're carrying on a century-long tradition.
0:24.0	Back in July 1925, for the first time ever, a trial was broadcast live on the radio.
0:41.5	You're tuning in to the state of Tennessee versus John Thomas Scopes.
0:45.5	If you're just joining us, Scopes is a high school science teacher here in the state.
0:49.1	He's recently arrested for teaching his students the theory of evolution.
0:54.6	He's up against the Goliath of a prosecutor, three-time presidential nominee William Jennings Brian.
0:55.5	And defending him is a little-known group called the American Civil Liberties Union.
1:01.5	We'll see.
1:03.9	That's right.
1:04.7	Today we're getting a front row seat to what's often considered the world's most famous court
1:08.9	trial.
1:09.9	I know.
1:10.2	I would have guessed it was the other one, too.
1:12.0	And the Scopes case feels like it could have taken place today. And that's not good news.
1:18.5	This winter, a new generation of Tennessee lawmakers introduced a bill that would require schools to
1:23.5	display. One, a portion of the Declaration of Independence. two, the preamble to the U.S. Constitution,
1:31.9	and three, the Ten Commandments.
	...

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