NEW ORLEANS — On Wednesday, legal representatives for Louisiana’s state government approached a federal appellate court, seeking to halt a recent ruling from a judge that dictates education officials must inform all local school districts that a statute requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms is unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge John deGravelles, stationed in Baton Rouge, described the law as “unconstitutional on its face” in a comprehensive decision released on Tuesday and mandated that education officials notify the state’s 72 local school boards accordingly.

The state intends to challenge the entirety of deGravelles’ ruling; however, their emergency appeal presented to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals focuses on a specific segment of the judgment. State attorneys argue that the judge exceeded his authority in demanding that all local school boards be informed of his ruling, considering only five districts are officially named as defendants in the lawsuit challenging the statute.

The implicated districts include East Baton Rouge, Livingston, St. Tammany, Orleans, and Vernon parishes.

Additionally, the Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley and the state education board are also named as respondents in the legal suit and were instructed by deGravelles to refrain from proceeding with the enforcement of the law.

However, state officials argue that, since they lack supervisory control over the elected local school boards, the judge’s order should only pertain to the aforementioned five boards.

This law was enacted earlier this year by a Legislature dominated by the Republican Party and received approval from Republican Governor Jeff Landry in June.

In his ruling issued on Tuesday, deGravelles stated that the law demonstrates an “overtly religious” intent. He dismissed arguments by state officials, who contended that the government could require the posting of the Ten Commandments due to their historical significance in the context of U.S. law.

The judge pointed out that no similar requirement exists for other key documents such as the Constitution or the Bill of Rights to be displayed.

Attorney General Elizabeth Murrill, a Republican ally of Governor Landry, expressed on Tuesday that the state disagrees with deGravelles’ ruling.