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A federal judge ruled Tuesday that Louisiana’s new law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms is unconstitutional, blocking its enforcement while legal challenges continue.
U.S. District Judge John deGravelles in Baton Rouge deemed the requirement “facially unconstitutional” in “all applications” in a 176-page opinion. The law would have mandated that schools display the Commandments beginning on January 1.
The ruling marks a setback for Gov. Jeff Landry and conservative supporters who advocated for the legislation.
“Each and every student and their family have the independent autonomy and authority under the First Amendment to choose their own faith,” said Alanah Odoms, executive director of the ACLU of Louisiana, which represented the plaintiffs. She said displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms violates that right.
State Attorney General Liz Murrill announced plans to appeal immediately. Supporters argue the Ten Commandments hold historical, not just religious, significance in America’s founding.
“We obviously disagree with the ruling. I wasn’t surprised by it. We do intend to seek a stay in the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals tomorrow and try to block the ruling, Murrill said in an interview with WWL Louisiana. “I would also clarify that it only applies to the five school districts that were sued and to BESE. And, BESE is not legally responsible for and does not control the other school boards who are all independently elected.”
But Pastor Fred Jeff Smith of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Baton Rouge supported the ruling.
“I believe in Jesus Christ as my savior and my Lord, but that’s not the belief of every citizen of this community,” Smith said. “That’s not the belief of every student that attends public schools.”
The case could reach the U.S. Supreme Court, which in 1980 struck down a similar Kentucky law as unconstitutional under the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause.
According to AG Murrill, the five school systems impacted by the judge’s decision are:
- East Baton Rouge Parish
- Livingston Parish
- St. Tammany Parish
- Orleans Parish
- Vernon Parish School Board
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