Louisiana’s Ten Commandments Law Stopped Again in Court

Another court has ruled against Louisiana's Ten Commandments law, this time the ruling comes the Fifth Circuit of the US Court of Appeals.

The Ten Commandments law was designed to require a posting of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom across the state. Months before it was set to take effect, a Federal Judge issued ruled that the law was unconstitutional, which froze the law before it could start. The planned law was set to force the Ten Commandments to be posted in January of this year, but with the initial ruling and ongoing legal fight, the law never started.

Courts Rules Against Louisiana's Ten Commandments Law

The initial ruling came from Federal Judge John W. deGravelles, and was issued in November of 2024. In his ruling, he stated:

"Each of the Plaintiffs' minor children will be forced 'in every practical sense,' through Louisiana’s required attendance policy, to be a 'captive audience' and to participate in a religious exercise: reading and considering a specific version of the Ten Commandments, one posted in every single classroom, for the entire school year, regardless of the age of the student or subject matter of the course"

Unanimous Decision Declares Law "Plainly Unconstitutional"

The initial ruling was appealed to the Fifth Circuit (often called the most conservative courts in the country), where it was affirmed today by a three judge panel. The ruling from the panel was unanimous, and declared the law "plainly unconstitutional."

Louisiana is not the first state to attempt to force the Ten Commandments to be posted in public schools, they're just the latest. Before Louisiana, it was last attempted by the state of Kentucky in the late 1970s. That case was argued all the way to the Supreme Court, where the court ruled in Stone v. Graham that posting the Ten Commandments violated the First Amendment, and was unconstitutional. That ruling is what guided the Fifth Circuit's unanimous decision.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has indicated her plans are to appeal to the full Fifth Circuit, and push for the Supreme Court to hear the case.

Why a Supreme Court Hearing Remains a Longshot

If the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case, it would be a rarity. The highest court in the land very rarely hears matters which a previous Supreme Court has already ruled on. Meaning the court would have to overrule the Stone v. Graham ruling, which some experts say has happened on roughly 0.5% the courts judgments.