Louisiana ‘s 2020 Teacher of the Year has filed a lawsuit against the state challenging a new law that requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom by Jan. 1.
It’s the second lawsuit filed against the law, which was enacted in June. The first lawsuit was filed in Baton Rouge soon after the law passed. The judge in that case has said he will try to rule on a motion to block the law by Nov. 15.
The second suit has drawn less attention. It was filed in New Orleans on Sept. 23 by Christopher Dier, a history teacher at Ben Franklin High School in New Orleans. Dier told The Associated Press in an interview last summer that he had no intention of displaying the Ten Commandments in his classroom.
U.S. District Judge Greg Guidry was to meet with attorneys in the case by telephone Wednesday to work out a schedule, including a possible trial date for Dier’s lawsuit. Defendants in the suit include Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, who signed the bill into law, Republican Attorney General Liz Murrill, Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley and members of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.