The reality that Amish teens are prevented from attending high school has been supported by broader American society for more than fifty years–and is often even romanticized as a cultural norm to celebrate. Yet how is this situation possible at a time when education is so crucial to becoming an employable adult? In this episode, Naomi and Rebecca discuss the internal contradictions and inconsistent logic of Wisconsin vs. Yoder, the 1972 Supreme Court decision that exempted youth in Amish (as well as in Amish Mennonite, Old Order Mennonite, and conservative Mennonite) communities from formal schooling beyond eighth grade.
Link to Show Transcript
Show Notes
Full Transcript of the 1971 Wisconsin v. Yoder Supreme Court Hearing (The Amish Heritage Foundation)
Wisconsin v. Yoder (Audio version of oral testimony)
Full text of William O. Douglas’ dissenting opinion: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Wisconsin_v._Yoder/Dissent_Douglas
"Yoder" Revisited: Why the Landmark Amish Schooling Case Could—And Should—Be Overturned (Gage Raley in the Virginia Law Review).
"Framing Affirmative Action" by Kimberlé Crenshaw
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