Federal Judge Blocks Louisiana Law Requiring Classrooms To Display Ten Commandments

The judge said the law is "unconstitutional on its face" and has an "overtly religious" purpose.

BATON ROUGE, LA. (AP) — A new Louisiana requirement that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public classroom by Jan. 1 was temporarily blocked Tuesday by a federal judge who said the law is “unconstitutional on its face.”

U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles in Baton Rouge said the law had an “overtly religious” purpose, and rejected state officials’ claims that the government can mandate the posting of the Ten Commandments because they hold historical significance to the foundation of U.S. law. His opinion noted that no other foundational documents — including the Constitution or the Bill of Rights — must be posted.

“We strongly disagree with the court’s decision and will immediately appeal,” Louisiana Attorney General Elizabeth Murrill said in an emailed statement. Murrill, a Republican, supported the law, as did Republican Gov. Jeff Landry.

In granting a preliminary injunction, DeGravelles said opponents of the law are likely to win their ongoing lawsuit against the law. The lawsuit argues that the law violates the First Amendment’s provisions forbidding the government from establishing a religion or blocking the free exercise of religion. They had argued that the poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments would isolate students, especially those who are not Christian.

DeGravelles said the law amounts to unconstitutional religious government coercion of students: “As Plaintiffs highlight, by law, parents must send their minor children to school and ensure attendance during regular school hours at least 177 days per year.”