A group of Louisiana families, supported by human rights organizations, filed a federal lawsuit on Monday, June 24th, to block a new state law mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms.
The legal action, initiated in Baton Rouge’s United States district court, marks the beginning of what could become a landmark case that could reach the Supreme Court.
The legislation, known as HB71, was signed into law last week by Governor Jeff Landry, making Louisiana the first state to require such displays in all public schools.
The law specifies that the Ten Commandments be presented in a “large, easily readable font” from January 2025 in every classroom, from kindergarten to university level, within state-funded schools.
The plaintiffs, including religious leaders from various faiths, argue that the law violates constitutional principles and Supreme Court precedents.
The complaint reads that the law “Sends the harmful and religiously divisive message that students who do not subscribe to the Ten Commandments—or, more precisely, to the specific version of the Ten Commandments that H.B. 71 requires schools to display—do not belong in their own school community and should refrain from expressing any faith practices of beliefs that are not aligned with the state’s religious preferences.”
The plaintiffs contend it promotes religious division and misrepresents historical facts.
The HB71 “doesn’t just interfere with my and my children’s religious freedom, it tramples on it,” said Reverend Jeff Sims, one of the plaintiffs and a Presbyterian minister with children in the public school system.
Sims continued, “The separation of church and state means that families get to decide if, when, and how their children should be introduced to religious scripts and texts.”
Another plaintiff, Joshua Herlands, a Jewish parent, expressed concerns about the law’s impact on religious minorities.
“The displays distort the Jewish significance of the Ten Commandments and send the troubling message to students, including my kids, that they may be lesser in the eyes of the government,” Herlands stated.
The lawsuit seeks an immediate injunction to prevent the law’s implementation, with a full hearing expected this summer.
Human rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), are backing the plaintiffs to maintain the separation of church and state.
