A recent legal development in Louisiana has halted a state law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms. U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles issued a ruling that blocks the implementation of Louisiana’s House Bill 71.
Signed into law in June, this bill mandated that starting January 1, 2025, schools must post the Ten Commandments along with other historical documents, such as the Mayflower Compact and the Declaration of Independence. The ruling came after a lawsuit was filed by nine Louisiana families, arguing that the law violated the First Amendment’s separation of church and state.
Judge deGravelles ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, stating that the law was not neutral toward religion. He found that the bill’s text, its effects, and the comments from lawmakers revealed a religious intent behind the legislation.
The judge also dismissed the defense argument that the Ten Commandments had been historically integral to U.S. public education. According to deGravelles, the historical instances of displaying the Ten Commandments in schools were too infrequent to support the claim that it was a common practice during the nation’s founding.
The decision was met with praise from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which represented the plaintiffs in the case. The ACLU argued that public schools should remain neutral spaces, free from religious endorsement.
Louisiana Judge Blocks Law Requiring Ten Commandments in Classrooms, Citing Violation of Church-State Separation
Heather L. Weaver, an attorney with the ACLU, emphasized that the ruling upheld the principle that public schools are not places for promoting specific religious beliefs, and the decision ensured that students from all religious backgrounds could feel safe and welcome in Louisiana’s public classrooms.
Governor Jeff Landry, who signed the law in June, defended its passage by stating that displaying the Ten Commandments in schools reflected the historical role of religion in American society.
He argued that it was part of the nation’s history and tradition and that it was in line with the views of the Founding Fathers on the importance of civic morality. The law was seen as a way to integrate these documents into the education of Louisiana’s children and promote a moral foundation for self-government.
In response to the judge’s ruling, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill announced that the state would appeal the decision. She criticized the ruling and stressed that the law’s implementation deadline was fast approaching. Murrill also pointed out that the judge’s decision applied only to five school boards, signaling that the legal battle was far from over.
This case brings to mind the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1980 *Stone v. Graham* decision, which also ruled that displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, setting a precedent for similar legal challenges.
