A recent Louisiana law mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms has sparked a legal battle. Filed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, the American Civil Liberties Union, and Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the lawsuit targets what would make Louisiana the only state enforcing such a requirement.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, represents a diverse group of plaintiffs, including Christian, Jewish, Unitarian, and nonreligious parents. It argues that there is no historical precedent supporting the permanent display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms across Louisiana or the United States. Citing the First Amendment's Establishment Clause, the complaint seeks a declaratory judgment that the law is unconstitutional. It also requests injunctive relief to prevent implementation and enforcement of the law.
Rev. Jeff Sims, a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) affiliate and plaintiff, voiced concerns about governmental overreach into matters of religion. He emphasized that the law could convey a message of religious favoritism, diminishing those who do not adhere to its teachings.
The legislation, signed by Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as House Bill 71, requires public schools to display the Ten Commandments starting January of next year. In addition to the Commandments, schools are permitted to showcase other historical documents like the Mayflower Compact and the Declaration of Independence.
While legal challenges loomed, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill expressed her support for the law on social media, citing the Commandments' foundational importance to the country. She underscored her readiness to defend the law in court despite historical legal precedent, including the U.S. Supreme Court's 1980 ruling in Stone v. Graham, which found a similar Kentucky law unconstitutional.
The legal dispute underscores ongoing tensions over the intersection of religion and public education in the United States, with both sides preparing for a protracted legal battle over the constitutionality of Louisiana's new law.