Meyer vs Nebraska

1. Meyer was tried and convicted in Nebraska for unlawfully teaching the
German language to a child (Raymond), who had not yet passed the
eighth grade.
2. The case filed against Meyer was based on a Nebraska Statutes which
provides:
Sec. 1. No person, individually or as a teacher, shall xxx teach any
subject to any person in any language other than the English language.
Sec. 2. Languages, other than the English language, may be taught only
after a pupil shall have at successfully passed the eighth grade xxx.
Sec. 3. Any person who violates any of the provisions shall be deemed
guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction, shall be fined or be
confined in the county jail not exceeding 30 days.
3. The Supreme Court of Nebraska upheld the conviction of Meyer. It
declared the offense charged was "the direct and intentional teaching of
the German language as a subject to a child who had not passed the
eighth grade"
4. Hence, Meyer appealed this case to Supreme Court of the United States.
ISSUE: Whether the Nebraska statute previously mentioned is in conflict
with the Fourteenth Amendment.
HELD: Yes. The SC held that the statute was unconstitutional because it
deprived parents and teachers of liberty and property without due process
of law.
The American people have always regarded education as matters of
supreme importance and that is why schools and the means of
education shall forever be encouraged.
The protection of14th Amendment to the Constitution encompasses
not only to those who speak English, but extends to those who speak
other languages.
Mere knowledge of the German language cannot be reasonably
regarded as harmful.