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Federal judge rules law requiring Ten Commandments to be displayed in classrooms is unconstitutional
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BATON ROUGE - A law that would have required all public schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms by Jan. 1 has been ruled to be unconstitutional by a federal judge.
Federal judge John deGravelles made the ruling Tuesday after three weeks of deliberation.
Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church Pastor Fred Jeff Smith was glad to see the ruling.
"If you knew something about Jesus then they wouldn't push all the foolishness that they push," Smith said. "I am very grateful for Judge deGravelle reminding the governor that we still live in a democracy and not a theocracy."
Smith is not opposed to the Ten Commandments but said that he was against their requirement in public schools.
"I'm a Baptist. I believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior and my Lord, but that's not the belief of every citizen in this community. That's not the belief of every student that attends public school," Smith said, adding that the Ten Commandments are things children should learn in church, not in their required curriculum.
State attorneys said the challenge was premature as no schools were displaying the Ten Commandments yet, which they argued could be presented in ways that wouldn't violate the Constitution.
However, in the ruling, deGravelles preemptively writes that there is no way to display the Ten Commandments that are both constitutional and in line with what the law would have required.
In an interview with WWL, an ACLU spokesperson said the ruling was a win for Louisiana families and children. They say the case could go to the U.S. Supreme Court, but said their arguments will not change.
"We're talking about the Founding Fathers, the founding generation. We're talking about the people who actually envisioned what this new nation would look like and really crafted this idea of keeping church and state separate so that the government did not have the power to influence or coerce individual citizens," the ACLU said.
The ACLU said they brought an expert, Dr. Kevin Green, who explained that the Ten Commandments is not one of the foundational documents. A spokesperson with the ACLU added that this decision is a victory for the state of Louisiana but the first step in a larger process.
"But I will tell you that we will live in a different country if in fact the Supreme Court would overturns this federal district courts decision," Alanah Odoms said.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill was among those critical of the decision.
“We strongly disagree with the court’s decision and will immediately appeal, as HB 71’s implementation deadline is approaching on January 1, 2025," Murrill said. "This decision only binds five of Louisiana’s many school boards. This is far from over."
Murrill added that the five parishes she is referring to are East Baton Rouge, Livingston, St. Tammany, Orleans and Vernon parishes. The appeal was filed before the end of the day Tuesday.
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