A Ten Commandments sculpture is on display in front of city hall June 27, 2001 in Grand Junction, Colorado.(Michael Smith/Getty Images)
A law that requires Louisiana’s public K-12 schools, colleges and universities to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom takes effect Wednesday, and the state’s top lawyer said Monday she will soon provide guidance to aid with compliance.
Attorney General Liz Murrill will defend the new law the week of Jan. 20 before the U.S. Supreme Court when justices are scheduled to hear arguments in a lawsuit from nine Louisiana parents who believe the requirement violates the U.S. Constitution. Public school boards in five parishes – East Baton Rouge, Livingston, Orleans, St. Tammany and Vernon parishes – are co-defendants in the case.
A federal court injunction prevents the law from taking effect in those parishes while the court considers the lawsuit. The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in November that the injunction doesn’t apply to schools systems not involved in the court case, meaning they are expected to follow the law.