Louisiana Law on Ten Commandments in Classrooms Remains Blocked by Court

A Louisiana law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in classrooms remains blocked by an appellate court ruling on Wednesday.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a state request to temporarily halt an earlier order by U.S. District Judge John deGravelles in Baton Rouge that blocked state education officials from enforcing the Ten Commandments display.

A group of Louisiana public school parents of different faiths sued the state, arguing that the Ten Commandments law violates the First Amendment's provisions forbidding the government from establishing a religion or blocking the free exercise of it. These parents also agreed that the display would isolate students, especially those who are not Christian.

"We're pleased that the Court of Appeals left the district court's injunction fully intact," Sam Grover, an attorney with the Freedom From Religion Foundation, one of the civil rights organizations who brought the lawsuit on behalf of the group of parents, said to The Associated Press. "As the district court ruled, this law is unconstitutional on its face."

Louisiana Attorney General Elizabeth Murrill speaks alongside Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry during a press conference regarding the Ten Commandments in schools on August 5, 2024, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. A Louisiana law requiring the Ten... Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate via AP, File

What Is Louisiana's Ten Commandments Law?

Earlier this year, Louisiana's Republican-dominated Legislature passed a bill requiring all public K-12 schools and state-funded university classrooms to display the Ten Commandments on a poster or framed documents at least 11 inches by 14 inches where the text is the central focus and "printed in a large, easily readable font."

The posters must also have the four-paragraph "context statement" describing how the Ten Commandments "were a prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries."

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, a Republican, signed the bill into law in June.

Similar laws requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in classrooms have been proposed in recent years in states including Texas, Oklahoma and Utah, but none have been passed.

What Was in Judge John deGravelles Ruling?

Judge deGravelles ruled last week that the Ten Commandments law was "overtly religious" and "unconstitutional on its face."

He said it amounted to unconstitutional religious government coercion of students, who are legally required to attend school.

Judge deGravelles rejected the state's claims that the government can require the display of the Ten Commandments because they hold historical significance to the foundation of U.S. law, noting that no other foundational documents such as the Constitution or the Bill of Rights must be displayed.

What Does The Other Side Say?

Proponents of the law say the Ten Commandments are not solely religious and have historical significance.

Louisiana Attorney General Elizabeth Murrill, a Republican, said after deGravelles handed down his ruling that she disagreed with his findings and that the law is constitutional under Supreme Court precedents.

Newsweek reached out to Murrill via email for comment on Wednesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1980 that a similar Kentucky law was unconstitutional and violated the First Amendment establishment clause, which states Congress can "make no law respecting an establishment of religion." The Supreme Court found that the law served no secular purpose but just a religious one.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.