A federal judge on Tuesday (Nov. 12) temporarily blocked a Louisiana law requiring state-funded schools and colleges to display a copy of the Ten Commandments in each classroom, finding that the law is an unconstitutional infringement of the right to religious liberty. 

The preliminary injunction, issued by U.S. District Judge John deGravelles in Baton Rouge, will remain in effect as the judge considers whether to permanently block the law. 

The decision comes in response to a lawsuit filed by civil liberties groups, who have argued the measure is a clear violation of the First Amendment. The law clearly violates the constitutional principle of separation of church and state, the plaintiffs said, pointing to a precedent set by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1980, when justices struck down a similar law in Kentucky. In his Tuesday opinion, DeGravelles found that ruling was binding precedent. 

The law passed the Republican-dominated state legislature during its the spring session and was set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2025, though districts are allowed to display the Ten Commandments earlier. 

It requires classrooms to post a state-approved version of the text “on a poster or framed document that is at least eleven inches by fourteen inches…accompanied by a context statement about the history of using the biblical doctrine in the U.S. public education system.” According to the law, schools cannot be required to spend any money on such posters, but can accept donations in the forms of money or posters.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill and Gov. Jeff Landry have both signalled their support for the requirement.  As he preparred to sign the controversial bill into law, Landry said: “I can’t wait to be sued.” 

The law’s backers claim that the religious text played a key role in the founding of the United States, and thus forms part of American history. Gov. Jeff Landry, a Catholic conservative, said earlier this year that the law demonstrated how “the majority gets to rule,” noting that some Democrats also voted in favor of the measure.

The civil liberties groups challenging the law are representing a coalition of nine Louisiana families spanning different faiths. The suit names State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley, members of the state board of education and several local school boards, including the Orleans Parish School Board, as defendants. 

“This ruling should serve as a reality check for Louisiana lawmakers who want to use public schools to convert children to their preferred brand of Christianity,” said Heather L. Weaver, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU, in a statement. “Public schools are not Sunday schools, and today’s decision ensures that our clients’ classrooms will remain spaces where all students, regardless of their faith, feel welcomed.”

State and local education officials filed a notice Tuesday afternoon that they plan to appeal the ruling.

“We strongly disagree with the court’s decision and will immediately appeal, as H.B. 71’s implementation deadline is approaching on January 1, 2025,” Murrill said in a statement.

The Orleans Parish School Board has also attempted to remove itself from the case, arguing that the charter schools attended by the children of the plaintiffs are operated by nonprofits, not the school board itself. DeGravelles denied OPSB’s attempt to be removed from the case except as it pertains to two plaintiffs whose children attend the International School of Louisiana, which falls under the oversight of the state board of education, not OPSB. 

The Louisiana case could have nationwide consequences should it reach the Supreme Court, where a majority of conservative justices on the bench could overturn that decades-long precedent. 

This is a developing story and will be updated. 

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Michelle Liu worked previously for The Associated Press in South Carolina and was an inaugural corps member with the Report for America initiative. She also covered statewide criminal justice issues for...