As Louisiana schools find themselves in the midst of a legal dispute over a contentious state law that mandates the display of the Ten Commandments in all public classrooms, a panel of three judges convened to hear arguments on this issue on Thursday morning.
The law, which has garnered support from Republican figures including President Donald Trump, came into effect on January 1. Nevertheless, the schools have been left in a state of uncertainty. At the beginning of the year, the state rolled out guidelines for districts to follow concerning the mandate, which requires large posters of the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public K-12 classroom and in state-funded university settings. In reaction, opponents have signaled their intent to file lawsuits should any posters be installed.
“I recognize the urgency of addressing this matter, and we will strive to expedite our decision,” remarked Catharina Haynes, one of the judges presiding over the case in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. Haynes did not indicate when a ruling might be reached.
The state is appealing a ruling issued last fall by U.S. District Judge John deGravelles, who deemed the law unconstitutional and instructed state education officials to refrain from enforcing it, as well as to communicate his decision to all local school boards throughout Louisiana.
State officials maintain that deGravelles’ ruling applies solely to the five school districts involved in the lawsuit. However, it remains ambiguous how the law would be applied in the other 67 districts in the state while the appeal is ongoing.
Shortly after the law took effect, Louisiana’s Attorney General Liz Murrill, the state’s leading legal authority, emphasized her expectation for school districts to comply with the new requirement. Murrill provided guidelines to schools for compliance, which included examples of Ten Commandments posters. Each poster is required to be accompanied by a four-paragraph “context statement” explaining the historical significance of the Ten Commandments in American public education over the past three centuries.
Over the past month, numerous inquiries were made to a variety of school districts, the Attorney General’s office, and the Department of Education, yet there have been no reports of schools beginning to post such materials.
Critics of the law argue that it infringes upon the principle of separation of church and state and that the display would alienate students who do not identify as Christian. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit include parents of public school students from diverse religious backgrounds, supported by legal representatives from civil liberties organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation.
Supporters of the legislation assert that it is not purely religious in nature but instead holds historical relevance concerning the origins of U.S. law.
Signed into law by Republican Governor Jeff Landry, Louisiana now stands as the only state that mandates the display of the Ten Commandments in public classrooms. The enactment of this legislation forms part of a broader set of conservative initiatives that were established in Louisiana last year.
This legislation is among the latest efforts from conservatives aiming to integrate more religion in educational settings; initiatives span from Florida’s laws allowing volunteer chaplains in schools to Oklahoma’s education chief mandating the incorporation of the Bible into educational curricula.
Amidst the ongoing legal fight, lawmakers from other states have started proposing similar bills ahead of this year’s legislative session, with proposals emerging in states like Montana and Tennessee. In addition, a coalition of 18 attorneys general from predominantly Republican states—including Alabama, Florida, and Texas—submitted a brief endorsing Louisiana’s law last December.
In recent years, various states have put forward proposals similar to Louisiana’s, but these measures have typically met legal opposition regarding their constitutionality, preventing them from being enacted.
In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against a comparable law in Kentucky, identifying it as unconstitutional due to its violation of the establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits Congress from recognizing any established religion. The Court concluded that the Kentucky law lacked a secular purpose, serving predominantly a religious intent.
Legal experts have suggested that the Louisiana case may eventually progress to the Supreme Court for further resolution.
