Louisiana Families Challenge Ten Commandments Law in Schools, Seek Immediate Injunction

BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana families are taking legal action to block a state law mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in K-12 and college classrooms, filing for an injunction on Monday.

The law requires schools to post 11-by-14-inch Ten Commandments posters in every classroom by January 1, 2025. However, the displays could be up as early as next month when students return to school.

Nine families have sued, arguing that the law endorses religion and violates the First Amendment. They filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to halt the displays while the case was litigated.

U.S. District Court Judge John deGravelles, appointed by former President Barack Obama, will decide on the injunction. If granted, it will prevent the displays from being posted as the new school year begins.

"These displays will violate long-standing Supreme Court precedent," Americans United for Separation of Church and State, representing the plaintiffs, stated. They referenced the 1980 Stone v. Graham decision, where the Supreme Court struck down a similar Kentucky law, citing the separation of church and state.

The plaintiffs also argue the law mandates a Protestant version of the Ten Commandments, differing from Catholic and Jewish versions.

Defendants include Louisiana Education Superintendent Cade Brumley, the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the school boards of East Baton Rouge, Livingston, Orleans, St. Tammany, and Vernon parishes.

Governor Jeff Landry signed House Bill 71, which applies to any school receiving state funds, including public universities. Landry has welcomed a legal challenge to the law’s constitutionality.

An expedited hearing has been requested to secure a decision before the school year starts.