Appeals court strikes down Louisiana Ten Commandments law

A three-judge panel for the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday to overturn Louisiana’s law requiring the Ten Commandments to hang in every public school classroom. State legislators passed the bill about a month before Gov. Jeff Landry formally signed it into law last June. The law required any school receiving public funding to mount a framed display of the Ten Commandments no smaller than 11 inches by 14 inches, with large, easy-to-read lettering. Advocates for the law emphasized the Ten Commandments’ significance and impact on American history.

The American Civil Liberties Union sued the state on behalf of a group of religious and non-religious parents about a week after the law was signed, alleging that forcing teachers to display the Biblical passage in classrooms violated the First Amendment.

What was the court’s rationale? The New Orleans-based court alleged that the law violated students’ First Amendment rights with forced exposure to government-sponsored religious displays. There’s no way for students to opt out of religious exposure from a government-funded source, thus violating the Constitution, the ruling argued.

The law was supposed to take effect Jan. 1, 2025, but a preliminary injunction issued in November 2024 stopped the law from ever taking effect, but only for the five school boards that were party to a lawsuit challenging the legislation. Commentators note that the latest ruling may push Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Dig deeper: Read my report on Texas lawmakers passing a similar law in March to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms.