Bryan and Darrow’s debate continued after the trial ended. Bryan fully intended to continue the antievolution crusade and reframe the trial in a different light. He revised his closing argument and planned to deliver this speech to audiences in the coming months. However, Bryan died in his sleep five days after the trial ended. His death was mourned nationwide, and he was celebrated for his integrity and devotion to his various causes and beliefs by friend and foe alike.

After the trial, the ACLU and Neal worked on an appeal, attempting to exclude Darrow, until he caught wind of the conspiracy to oust him. The ACLU could not dismiss him without offending his supporters, so Darrow stayed in place. Though he was chief counsel of record, Neal lacked the aptitude to move forward—he missed the deadline for to file the bill of exceptions with the Tennessee Supreme Court. This oversight dealt a massive blow to the defense, as it disallowed the team from appealing anything other than the validity of the Butler Act. The appeal was made more difficult by the lack of funding and organization. The prosecution also suffered from setbacks due to internal conflicts. The appeal would normally fall to the state attorney general, Frank Thompson.