It is being challenged in court.
A coalition of secular legal organizations has filed a lawsuit to challenge a new Louisiana law mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. The Freedom From Religion Foundation, the American Civil Liberties Union, and Americans United for Separation of Church and State initiated the legal action in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana. They represent a diverse group of parents, including Christians, Jews, Unitarians, and nonreligious individuals, who have children in Louisiana public schools.
The complaint argues that there is no historical precedent for permanently displaying the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms in Louisiana or across the United States. For nearly fifty years, it has been well established that the First Amendment prohibits public schools from posting the Ten Commandments in such a manner. The plaintiffs are seeking a declaratory judgment to declare the law unconstitutional, as well as preliminary and permanent injunctions to prevent its enforcement.
Rev. Jeff Sims, a plaintiff and member of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), contends that the government is overreaching into personal religious matters. He believes the law promotes religious intolerance by suggesting that one faith system is preferable to others. Sims, speaking as both a pastor and a father, stressed the importance of defending fundamental religious freedom rights.
Governor Jeff Landry signed House Bill 71, which requires public school classrooms to display a copy of the Ten Commandments by January of the following year. The bill also allows the display of other historical documents, such as the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, and the Northwest Ordinance. Landry justified the law by stating that respecting the rule of law begins with the original laws given by Moses.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has expressed her support for the law and her willingness to defend it in court. She emphasized the Ten Commandments’ importance to the country’s foundations. This legal challenge draws attention to the 1980 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Stone v. Graham, which ruled that requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.