The Trial of the Century

March 27, 2023
Clarence Darrow’s “unyielding commitment to civil liberties and intellectual freedoms” takes center stage in this brisk account of the 1925 Scopes “Monkey” Trial. Fox News analyst Jarrett (The Russia Hoax) notes that after Tennessee enacted a bill banning the teaching of evolution in public schools, the ACLU looked for a state educator willing to test the law in court. With the encouragement of a local businessman who wanted to bring publicity to Dayton, Tenn., science teacher John Scopes agreed to incriminate himself, setting the stage for a legal clash between Darrow and three-time presidential candidate William Jennings Bryant. Arguing that “any discourse over evolution was protected speech,” Darrow struggled to make headway against a hostile judge and a prosecutor who claimed that the teaching of natural selection necessarily “denie the Story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible.” Though Scopes lost the case and was ordered to pay a $100 fine, the ruling was overturned on a technicality and Darrow “ultimately prevailed in his efforts to preserve intellectual freedom and the advancement of science,” according to Jarrett. Though Jarrett sticks to familiar ground, it’s a colorful and dramatic retelling. Those new to the case will be especially rewarded by this solid look back at one of the most consequential free speech debates in American history.

June 10, 2024

Fox News analyst Jarrett (The Russia Hoax), writing with New York Times best-selling author Don Yaeger, offers a lively, self-narrated account of the 1925 Scopes trial, prompted by the Tennessee legislature's enactment of a bill banning the teaching of evolution in Tennessee public schools. Hoping to test the law's constitutionality, the American Civil Liberties Union sought out a Tennessee teacher willing to be arrested and serve as a defendant. High school teacher John Scopes agreed to be that person. Agnostic lawyer Clarence Darrow served for the defense, and renowned political evangelist William Jennings Bryan joined the prosecution. The trial was clearly biased from the outset. The judge dismissed the jury during key parts of the testimony, and at his insistence, court proceedings began each day with a prayer. At the end of the trial, Darrow called Bryan as an expert Bible witness; his testimony favored the defense, as he revealed that he did not believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible. Jarrett enthusiastically narrates his book, engagingly describing this landmark case. His description of the trial proceedings is animated and compelling. VERDICT Listeners will likely find this story riveting, as it speaks to still relevant debates surrounding intellectual freedom, evolution, and the separation of church and state.--Joanna M. Burkhardt

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