Judge will hear arguments to block Louisiana’s Ten Commandments display requirement in schools
BATON ROUGE, La. — A federal judge will hear arguments Monday on whether to temporarily block a new Louisiana law that requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom by Jan. 1.
The hearing on these and other issues in a pending lawsuit against the new law is expected to last all day. It is unclear when U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles will rule.
Opponents say the bill is an unconstitutional violation of the law separation of church and state and that the display will isolate students, especially those who are not Christian. Supporters argue that the measure is not exclusively religiousbut has historical significance for the foundation of American law. Louisiana, a reliably Republican state located in the Bible Belt, is the only state with such a requirement.
In JuneParents of Louisiana public schoolchildren from various religious backgrounds filed the lawsuit, arguing that the legislation violates the language of the First Amendment, which prohibits government establishment of religion and guarantees religious freedom.
Gov. Jeff Landry, a conservative Republican who supports the new law, has said for months that he looks forward to defending the mandate in court. When asked at a press conference in August what he would say to parents who are angry about the Ten Commandments being displayed in their child’s classroom, he replied: “If those posters are hanging in school and they (parents) see them so vulgarly find it, just tell the parents.” child not to look at it.”
There have been conservative attempts to do so across the country integrate religion into classroomsfrom Florida law that allows school districts to have this volunteer chaplains who guide students to Oklahoma’s top education official directing public schools to do so incorporate the Bible into lessons.
The new law in Louisiana is being touted by conservatives, among others former President Donald Trump.
In June, the Republican presidential candidate posted on his social media network: “I LOVE THE TEN COMMANDMENTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND MANY OTHER PLACES ANYTHING. READ IT – HOW COULD WE GO WRONG AS A NATION???”
Louisiana law, which applies to all K-12 public school classrooms and state-funded college classrooms, requires that the Ten Commandments be displayed on a poster or framed document measuring at least 11 by 14 inches ( 11 inches by 14 inches) where the text is the text. central focus and “printed in a large, easy-to-read font.” Each poster must also be paired with the four-paragraph context statement.
Additionally, since Louisiana has more than 1,300 public schools, tens of thousands of posters will likely be needed to comply with the new law. Louisiana State University has nearly 1,000 classrooms on its Baton Rouge campus alone.
The mandate does not require school systems to spend public money on the posters, with Republicans saying the displays will be paid for by donations or the posters themselves will be donated by groups or organizations. Questions still linger about how the requirement will be enforced if a teacher refuses to post the Ten Commandments and what happens if there are not enough donations to fund the mandate.
In an agreement reached by the court and the state last monthFive schools specifically named in the lawsuit will not post the commandments in classrooms before November 15 and will not establish rules for implementing the law before then. The deadline to comply, January 1, 2025, remains in effect for schools statewide.