Federal Judge Halts Louisiana Law Requiring Classrooms To Display the Ten Commandments

A federal judge has decided a newly passed Louisiana law mandating that every classroom display the Ten Commandments is “coercive” and “unconstitutional” and has blocked it from going into effect.

Earlier this year, Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed a bill that takes effect on January 1, 2025, requiring every public school to have a visible display at least 11-by-14-inches size that showcases the Ten Commandments. The display must also include a statement of context explaining the prominent and historical role these commandments played in the country’s legal and education system. AP explains:

“U.S. District Judge John W. DeGravelles in Baton Rouge said the law had an “overtly religious” purpose and rejected state officials’ claims that the government can mandate the posting of the Ten Commandments because they hold historical significance to the foundation of U.S. law. His opinion noted that no other foundational documents — including the Constitution or the Bill of Rights — must be posted.” The summary of the 177-page judgment reads:

Each of the Plaintiffs’ minor children will be forced “in every practical sense,” through Louisiana’s required attendance policy, to be a “captive audience” and to participate in a religious exercise: reading and considering a specific version of the Ten Commandments, one posted in every single classroom, for the entire school year, regardless of the age of the student or subject matter of the course.

And, despite the differences among the Plaintiffs’ religious beliefs (be they Unitarian Universalist, Reform Jewish, Presbyterian, or atheist/agnostic), the common threads are (1) that the required posting of the Decalogue conflicts with specific parts of their faith, and (2) that one of those articles of faith, shared by nearly all Plaintiff parents, is raising their children in accordance with their own beliefs and values.

Considering the totality of the circumstances, the Court finds that the Act and its requirements are coercive and inconsistent with the history of First Amendment and public education.

Following the ruling, Louisiana Attorney General Elizabeth Murrill announced on X that the government “strongly disagreed” with the ruling and that her office would “immediately appeal” the decision while also noting that the reprieve from the judge only applies to the five local school boards named as defendants in the lawsuit.