BATON ROUGE — A federal judge has temporarily blocked Louisiana’s new law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments, deeming it unconstitutional.
UU.S. District Judge John deGravelles issued an order Tuesday granting a coalition of parents a preliminary injunction, which prevents the state from enforcing the requirement for schools to display posters of the Ten Commandments in classrooms.
DeGravelles heard arguments in October regarding H.B. 71, which made Louisiana the first state in the nation to mandate that all public K-12 schools and colleges display the Ten Commandments starting January 1.
MORE: Lawsuit against Louisiana’s Ten Commandments law pits history vs. religion
Gov. Jeff Landry signed the legislation in June, but a coalition of nine parents from different faiths sued the state in federal court, arguing that the law “substantially interferes with and burdens” their First Amendment right to raise their children according to their chosen religious beliefs. The parents were joined in the lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Louisiana, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
“Tell your child not to look at them,” Landry told reporters in August when asked about parents who don’t believe the Ten Commandments should be displayed in classrooms. He added, “I don’t see what the whole big fuss is about.”
Louisiana may appeal the ruling to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which is widely considered one of the most conservative federal appeals courts.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill says she expects the case to be decided by the United States Supreme Court.
This is a developing story. As soon as more details are provided, the story will be updated. Check back for new information.
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