A Louisiana teacher of the year is challenging the state's new Ten Commandments law in a lawsuit, arguing it violates constitutional rights.
Christopher Dier, the 2020 Louisiana Teacher of the Year and a history teacher at Ben Franklin High School in New Orleans, filed a lawsuit in federal court on September 23, aiming to block the law that mandates public school classrooms display the Ten Commandments by January 1, 2025.
The lawsuit, the second filed against the law since its enactment in June, contests that the legislation forces religious messaging onto students and infringes upon the First Amendment's prohibition against government establishment of religion.
"I don't believe in doing something that is unconstitutional and harmful to students," Dier told The Associated Press in June.
He has refused to display the religious document in his classroom, and his lawsuit cites concerns that the Ten Commandments required in the law promotes a Protestant interpretation and risks alienating non-Christian students.
What Is the Ten Commandments Law?
Republican Governor Jeff Landry signed the bill, known as HB71, into law in June, sparking backlash from educators and civil liberties groups alike.
The law requires a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in "large, easily readable font" in all public classrooms starting in 2025 with an accompanying four-paragraph context statement.
In addition, according to the legislation the posters would be paid for through donations as state funds will not be used to implement the mandate.
What Does the Lawsuit Say?
Defendants in Dier's lawsuit include Landry, Republican Attorney General Liz Murrill, Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley and the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Dier's legal team argues that the law effectively "conscripts" teachers into promoting a religious doctrine, a violation of religious freedom under the Constitution.
State officials, however, maintain that the law serves a secular purpose, highlighting the historical importance of the Ten Commandments in the development of American legal principles.
They have filed a motion to dismiss Dier's case, arguing that no harm has yet been inflicted upon the teacher.
"He challenges only some unspecified future H.B. 71 display that he presumes may violate his rights at some unspecified future time," the motion to dismiss says. "But he does not know—and Defendants do not know—how his (or any) school will select its H.B. 71 display(s), what size they will be, where they will be located, what context will be included, and so on."
More Opposition and Lawsuits
Dier's is not the first lawsuit against the law. In June, parents—led by Unitarian Universalist minister Reverend Darcy Roake—began to sue the state. Lawyers filed a brief in federal court in August saying that the law violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which states that the U.S government cannot promote any particular religion.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the American Civil Liberties Union and others have backed the plaintiffs, arguing that the law violates long-standing U.S. Supreme Court precedent.
The parents are seeking an injunction to prevent the posters being placed in schools, which is due to begin January 1.
"Defendants' motion to dismiss and opposition to Plaintiffs' preliminary-injunction motion are premised on a fundamentally flawed understanding of what is at issue in this case," the parents' filing states.
U.S. District Judge Greg Guidry is overseeing the case with attorneys from both sides scheduled to discuss a trial timeline.
The lawsuit filed by the parents is also in motion, with Judge John deGravelles considering whether to block enforcement of the law before it takes effect.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
:quality(85):upscale()/2024/04/24/878/n/3019466/36c5693c662965c5d1ce91.72473705_.jpg)
English (US) ·