Chris Comer, a former employee of the Texas Education Agency, resigned from her job in 2007 after she forwarded an e-mail to her colleagues advising them of a public appearance by a critic of creationism and intelligent design. Comer quit her job after she said that agency officials threatened to fire her for the e-mail, warning her that her electronic message had violated the agency’s policy of impartiality on such issues.
Comer sued the agency, but last week a federal judge dismissed her lawsuit, according to this story in the Austin American-Statesman.
The ex-employee had argued that the state did not have an obligation to take a neutral stance on creationism and intelligent design, because scientists have rejected those views as unscientific, when compared against the theory of evolution. The case played out against the backdrop of the state school board debating how evolution should be presented in Texas’ academic standards.
“We are sorry that this situation resulted in a lawsuit but we were confident we would prevail,” Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott said in a statement, according to the paper. “We wish Ms. Comer well.”