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Ten Commandments Mandate Deemed Unconstitutional in Louisiana Schools
A federal appeals court has struck down a Louisiana law mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in all public school classrooms, handing a significant victory to civil liberties advocates. The three-judge panel ruled that the law violates the principle of separation of church and state and could alienate non-Christian students.
The law, which went into effect January 1st, had been championed by Republicans including President Trump as part of a broader effort to increase the presence of religion in schools. Supporters argued that the Ten Commandments are historically relevant and foundational to American law.
However, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, known for its conservative leanings, sided with parents from diverse religious backgrounds who sued the state.
The parents argued that the mandatory displays infringe upon the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious freedom.
The judges emphasized the lack of an opt-out provision, stating that students would be subjected to the displays throughout their public school education. Louisiana became the first state to enact such a law when Governor Jeff Landry signed the measure in June 2024. It stipulated poster-sized displays in a “large, easily readable font” in all public school classrooms, from kindergarten through university.
This ruling upholds a previous decision by U.S. District Judge John deGravelles, who had declared the mandate unconstitutional last fall.
Legal experts anticipate that this case will likely reach the U.S. Supreme Court, offering a test for the conservative-leaning court on the complex intersection of government and religion.
The Supreme Court has addressed similar issues in the past, ruling against Ten Commandments displays in Kentucky public schools in 1980 and in Kentucky courthouses in 2005, while upholding a display on the Texas State Capitol grounds in the same year.