Dover: give credit to the lawyers.

The sub-head beneath the headline of the story ("Victory In Dover!," February Church & State) proclaims: "Federal Court Unmasks The Genesis of Intelligent Design--And The Lies That Helped Bering It Into The Pennsylvania Public Schools." Wrong. It was not the federal court that unmasked the "genesis of intelligent design," it was the hardworking and skilled lawyers who did the unmasking through investigation of the documentary record and the depositions of witnesses. It was they who presented the damning evidence to Judge Jones.

To be sure, they were representing Americans United and the parents, but it is important for your readers to appreciate what it took to gather the evidence, place it in the framework of court decisions and skillfully present it in the form of well-written briefs (legal-factual arguments) and then nail down the case with testimony of witnesses. It was these same lawyers who sought out, interviewed and prepared those witnesses for their courtroom presentation. When it all came together, it convinced the judge that the plaintiffs had supported their allegations by factual evidence and that the law required a ruling in their favor.

My complaint is that no mention is made of the attorneys. They are simply absent from your reporting of this courtroom triumph. The role of attorneys is often ignored in the reporting of important court decisions. But without them the protests of the parents and AU would have gotten nowhere.

Alvin J. Ziontz

Bellevue, Wash.