Federal judge rules against Louisiana law mandating Ten Commandments in schools

A federal judge has declared Louisiana's law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools unconstitutional. This decision was made on November 12 by U.S. District Judge John deGravelles, citing violations of court precedent and the First Amendment.

The ruling was anticipated due to previous legal challenges, including a similar law in Kentucky that was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1980 for violating the establishment clause of the First Amendment.

Judge deGravelles stated that the law is "coercive to students" who are unable to avoid viewing the Ten Commandments daily throughout their education. He noted a lack of historical evidence supporting such practices during America's founding.

“There are any number of ways that they (the defendants) could advance an alleged interest in educating students about the Ten Commandments that would be less burdensome on the First Amendment,” he added.

Governor Jeff Landry, R-La., had signed this measure as part of his “Dream Big” Education Plan, which included nearly 20 bills addressing various educational policies such as scholarship accounts and teacher compensation.

Attorney General Liz Murrill expressed intentions to appeal, potentially escalating the case to the conservative-leaning 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Heather L. Weaver from ACLU’s Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief remarked, “This ruling should serve as a reality check for Louisiana lawmakers who want to use public schools to convert children to their preferred brand of Christianity.” She emphasized that public school classrooms should remain inclusive spaces for all faiths.

President-elect Trump previously supported the Louisiana law, suggesting it could signal a religious revival in America via his Truth Social platform.

Kate Scanlon reports for OSV News from Washington and can be followed on X @kgscanlon.