Appellant: Walter M. Pierce, Governor of Oregon
Appelles: Owners of two private education institutions (The Society of Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary and the Hill Military Academy)
In 1922, the State of Oregon enacted the Compulsory Education Act. This Oregon law required parents or guardians of a child, between the ages of eight and sixteen, to send the child to only public schools. However, the U.S. Supreme Court on June 1, 1925, ruled (9–0) that the Compulsory Education Act law was unconstitutional. The court decided to support the right of parents, under the fourteenth amendment, to make educational decisions on behalf of their children.
(b) Issues
The Society of Sisters, an Oregon corporation which facilitated