Murphy v. Arkansas
United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
852 F.2d 1039 (1988)
- Written by Alexander Hager-DeMyer, JD
Facts
The State of Arkansas enacted the Arkansas Home School Act, which created specific requirements for families wanting to homeschool their children. This law included no certification requirements for homeschooling and no mandated curriculum. However, homeschooled children had to undergo standardized testing each year. Parents could select the specific exam and be present while children tested, but the test had to be administered by a member of the Arkansas Department of Education. Doty and Phyllis Murphy (plaintiffs) were evangelical Christians who believed that they were required by their religion to take full control of every aspect of their children’s training and education. The Murphys argued that the requirement of an outside test administrator conflicted with this religious belief and violated their right to free exercise of religion. Additionally, the Murphys claimed that the requirements for homeschooling were more restrictive than for private schools, violating the Equal Protection Clause. The Murphys filed suit in federal district court, and the district court upheld the standardized-testing requirement as constitutional. The Murphys appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Heaney, J.)
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