If flipping through the pages of Skeptical Inquirer shows us anything (and it does—the editor made sure I put that in), it is that science is misunderstood, misused, and misrepresented throughout our society. And if the United States is known for anything, it’s for a system where if you are wronged, the first reaction is to sue—and sue everyone. So why, I am frequently asked, aren’t there more science-based lawsuits and court cases?
In preparation for this article, I asked friends to name famous science lawsuits. And all people came up with was the Scopes Monkey Trial (or, sometimes, the “intelligent design” case of Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District1). But often it appears there is a restraining order in force between the law and science.