CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : Teacher Loses His Creationism Case

A judge Thursday dismissed a suit brought by a San Juan Capistrano biology teacher, a born-again Christian, who claimed the school district was forcing him to teach evolution as a religion. John Peloza sued after the district reprimanded him for teaching creationism in his science class. “Simply put, the issue I must decide is whether Peloza has a constitutional right to conduct himself as a loose cannon in his classroom or on the campus and teach scientific theories of his own choosing despite the fact that they are not authorized by and are prohibited by the State Board of Education curriculum,” U.S. District Judge David W. Williams wrote, ruling in Los Angeles. “I conclude that he has not.”