A federal judge declared, this Tuesday (12), the unconstitutionality of a Louisiana law that requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in all public school classrooms in the North American state.
The decision by federal district judge John deGravelles represents a temporary setback for conservative groups trying to give greater prominence to expressions of faith in society.
Schools must comply with the law by January 1st. The judge was nominated for the position by the then president, from the Democratic Party.
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State Attorney General Liz Murrill, a Republican, said, “We strongly disagree with the court’s decision and will appeal immediately.”
The appeal will be sent to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, widely considered one of the most conservative federal appeals courts.
In his 177-page decision, deGravelles said the Louisiana law conflicted with a 1980 U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down a similar law in Kentucky and violated the religious rights of those who object to such displays.
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He also found the law to be “discriminatory and coercive” as it would pressure children in public schools to adopt state-preferred religious teachings for at least 177 days a year.
“Each of the plaintiffs’ minor children will be forced, in effect, by Louisiana’s mandatory attendance policy, to be a ‘captive audience,’” wrote the judge, who sits in Baton Rouge.
“The question is whether, from a legal standpoint, there is any constitutional way to display the Ten Commandments in compliance with (Louisiana law),” he added. “In short, the court concludes that there is none.”
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Louisiana became the only U.S. state to require display of the Ten Commandments when Republican Governor Jeff Landry signed Act 71 into law on June 19.
The law requires the display of posters or framed versions of the Ten Commandments, at least 28cm by 35cm, and with the commandments as the main focus, printed in a large, easy-to-read font.
Nine families, including members of the clergy, with children in public schools, filed suit five days later in Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana, seeking an injunction against the law.
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The various plaintiffs are Jews, Presbyterians, non-religious or atheists.
