Louisiana Families Challenge Ten Commandments Law In Federal Court

Nine families in Louisiana have sued the state's education department and local school boards challenging a new law that mandates the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms.

The controversial law, signed by Governor Jeff Landry, marks the first such requirement since the Supreme Court declared similar mandates unconstitutional over 40 years ago.

The plaintiffs, who include Jewish, Christian, Unitarian Universalist, and nonreligious families, argue that the law infringes on their First Amendment rights, Reuters reported.

Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, the lawsuit claims the law "substantially interferes with and burdens" their right to raise their children in their chosen faiths.

The complaint also states that the law pressures students into religious observance and sends a divisive message to those who do not adhere to the Ten Commandments.

Among the plaintiffs are two clergy members: Rev. Darcy Roake, a Unitarian Universalist minister, and Rev. Jeff Simms, a Presbyterian minister. Both have voiced concerns about the government's intrusion into personal religious matters and the favoritism towards one religious text.

Joshua Herlands, a Jewish parent, said the state's decision distorts the Jewish significance of the Ten Commandments and promotes one set of religious laws over others.

The families are supported by several organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom from Religion Foundation. They are represented pro bono by the law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.

Attorney Jonathan Youngwood, representing the families, said the case has been assigned to a federal judge in Baton Rouge, and they aim to secure a hearing this summer to prevent the law's implementation.

Governor Landry, a conservative Republican, signed the bill into law despite anticipated legal challenges. He maintains that the Ten Commandments represent the foundation of law and has received support from figures like Donald Trump, who has called for similar measures nationwide.

State Rep. Dodie Horton, who sponsored the bill, has been unapologetic about integrating Christianity into public schools and has dismissed concerns from non-Christian communities.

The law is part of a broader push by conservative groups to make expressions of faith a more prominent part in society.