Legal Commentary

Astral Physics

By Eugene Volokh

From a job posting at the City College of San Francisco:

RE: INSTRUCTOR ? ASTRONOMY (GENERAL) ...

EMPLOYMENT QUALIFICATIONS: (State Minimum Requirements) ...

2. Earned Master?s Degree in Physics, Astronomy, or Astrophysics from an accredited institution; OR THE EQUIVALENT; OR ... Hold a fully-satisfied LIFE California Community College Instructor Credential in Astronomy and Astral Physics ....

And from South Dakota House Concurrent Resolution 1009:

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION, Calling for balanced teaching of global warming in the public schools of South Dakota....

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the House of Representatives of the Eighty-fifth Legislature of the State of South Dakota, the Senate concurring therein, that the South Dakota Legislature urges that instruction in the public schools relating to global warming include the following:
(1) That global warming is a scientific theory rather than a proven fact;
(2) That there are a variety of climatological, meteorological, astrological, thermological, cosmological, and ecological dynamics that can effect world weather phenomena and that the significance and interrelativity of these factors is largely speculative; ....

Fortunately, the Senate version and the final version limited itself to ?climatological and meteorological dynamics.? The sponsor of the House bill says that ?astrological? was a legislative drafter?s error, and the drafter meant to say ?astronomical? (presumably referring to the debate about the role of solar variability in climate change) ? a plausible explanation, but still pretty embarrassing.

Thanks to commenters zuch and Mike G in Corvallis for the pointers.

Full post as published by The Volokh Conspiracy on March 11, 2010 (boomark / email).