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CNN
an hour ago
- Politics
- CNN
Court blocks Louisiana law requiring schools to post Ten Commandments in classrooms
Religion Supreme CourtFacebookTweetLink Follow A panel of three federal appellate judges has ruled that a Louisiana law requiring the Ten Commandments to be posted in each of the state's public school classrooms is unconstitutional. The ruling Friday marked a major win for civil liberties groups who say the mandate violates the separation of church and state, and that the poster-sized displays would isolate students — especially those who are not Christian. The mandate has been touted by Republicans, including President Donald Trump, and marks one of the latest pushes by conservatives to incorporate religion into classrooms. Backers of the law argue the Ten Commandments belong in classrooms because they are historical and part of the foundation of US law. 'This is a resounding victory for the separation of church and state and public education,' said Heather L. Weaver, a senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union. 'With today's ruling, the Fifth Circuit has held Louisiana accountable to a core constitutional promise: Public schools are not Sunday schools, and they must welcome all students, regardless of faith.' The plaintiffs' attorneys and Louisiana disagreed on whether the appeals court's decision applied to every public school district in the state or only the districts party to the lawsuit. 'All school districts in the state are bound to comply with the US Constitution,' said Liz Hayes, a spokesperson for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which served as co-counsel for the plaintiffs. The appeals court's rulings 'interpret the law for all of Louisiana,' Hayes added. 'Thus, all school districts must abide by this decision and should not post the Ten Commandments in their classrooms.' Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said she disagreed and believed the ruling only applied to school districts in the five parishes that were party to the lawsuit. Murrill added that she would appeal the ruling, including taking it to the US Supreme Court if necessary. The panel of judges reviewing the case was unusually liberal for the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In a court with more than twice as many Republican-appointed judges, two of the three judges involved in the ruling were appointed by Democratic presidents. The court's ruling stems from a lawsuit filed last year by parents of Louisiana school children from various religious backgrounds, who said the law violates First Amendment language guaranteeing religious liberty and forbidding government establishment of religion. The ruling also backs an order issued last fall by US District Judge John deGravelles, who declared the mandate unconstitutional and ordered state education officials not to enforce it and to notify all local school boards in the state of his decision. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed the mandate into law last June. Landry said in a statement Friday that he supports the attorney general's plans to appeal. 'The Ten Commandments are the foundation of our laws — serving both an educational and historical purpose in our classrooms,' Landry said. Law experts have long said they expect the Louisiana case to make its way to the US Supreme Court, testing the court on the issue of religion and government. Similar laws have been challenged in court. A group of Arkansas families filed a federal lawsuit earlier this month challenging a near-identical law passed in their state. And comparable legislation in Texas currently awaits Gov. Greg Abbott's signature. In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a Kentucky law violated the Establishment Clause of the US Constitution, which says Congress can 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion.' The court found that the law had no secular purpose but served a plainly religious purpose. And in 2005, the Supreme Court held that such displays in a pair of Kentucky courthouses violated the Constitution. At the same time, the court upheld a Ten Commandments marker on the grounds of the Texas state Capitol in Austin.
CNN
2 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Court blocks Louisiana law requiring schools to post Ten Commandments in classrooms
Religion Supreme CourtFacebookTweetLink Follow A panel of three federal appellate judges has ruled that a Louisiana law requiring the Ten Commandments to be posted in each of the state's public school classrooms is unconstitutional. The ruling Friday marked a major win for civil liberties groups who say the mandate violates the separation of church and state, and that the poster-sized displays would isolate students — especially those who are not Christian. The mandate has been touted by Republicans, including President Donald Trump, and marks one of the latest pushes by conservatives to incorporate religion into classrooms. Backers of the law argue the Ten Commandments belong in classrooms because they are historical and part of the foundation of US law. 'This is a resounding victory for the separation of church and state and public education,' said Heather L. Weaver, a senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union. 'With today's ruling, the Fifth Circuit has held Louisiana accountable to a core constitutional promise: Public schools are not Sunday schools, and they must welcome all students, regardless of faith.' The plaintiffs' attorneys and Louisiana disagreed on whether the appeals court's decision applied to every public school district in the state or only the districts party to the lawsuit. 'All school districts in the state are bound to comply with the US Constitution,' said Liz Hayes, a spokesperson for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which served as co-counsel for the plaintiffs. The appeals court's rulings 'interpret the law for all of Louisiana,' Hayes added. 'Thus, all school districts must abide by this decision and should not post the Ten Commandments in their classrooms.' Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said she disagreed and believed the ruling only applied to school districts in the five parishes that were party to the lawsuit. Murrill added that she would appeal the ruling, including taking it to the US Supreme Court if necessary. The panel of judges reviewing the case was unusually liberal for the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In a court with more than twice as many Republican-appointed judges, two of the three judges involved in the ruling were appointed by Democratic presidents. The court's ruling stems from a lawsuit filed last year by parents of Louisiana school children from various religious backgrounds, who said the law violates First Amendment language guaranteeing religious liberty and forbidding government establishment of religion. The ruling also backs an order issued last fall by US District Judge John deGravelles, who declared the mandate unconstitutional and ordered state education officials not to enforce it and to notify all local school boards in the state of his decision. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed the mandate into law last June. Landry said in a statement Friday that he supports the attorney general's plans to appeal. 'The Ten Commandments are the foundation of our laws — serving both an educational and historical purpose in our classrooms,' Landry said. Law experts have long said they expect the Louisiana case to make its way to the US Supreme Court, testing the court on the issue of religion and government. Similar laws have been challenged in court. A group of Arkansas families filed a federal lawsuit earlier this month challenging a near-identical law passed in their state. And comparable legislation in Texas currently awaits Gov. Greg Abbott's signature. In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a Kentucky law violated the Establishment Clause of the US Constitution, which says Congress can 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion.' The court found that the law had no secular purpose but served a plainly religious purpose. And in 2005, the Supreme Court held that such displays in a pair of Kentucky courthouses violated the Constitution. At the same time, the court upheld a Ten Commandments marker on the grounds of the Texas state Capitol in Austin.
CNN
2 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Court blocks Louisiana law requiring schools to post Ten Commandments in classrooms
A panel of three federal appellate judges has ruled that a Louisiana law requiring the Ten Commandments to be posted in each of the state's public school classrooms is unconstitutional. The ruling Friday marked a major win for civil liberties groups who say the mandate violates the separation of church and state, and that the poster-sized displays would isolate students — especially those who are not Christian. The mandate has been touted by Republicans, including President Donald Trump, and marks one of the latest pushes by conservatives to incorporate religion into classrooms. Backers of the law argue the Ten Commandments belong in classrooms because they are historical and part of the foundation of US law. 'This is a resounding victory for the separation of church and state and public education,' said Heather L. Weaver, a senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union. 'With today's ruling, the Fifth Circuit has held Louisiana accountable to a core constitutional promise: Public schools are not Sunday schools, and they must welcome all students, regardless of faith.' The plaintiffs' attorneys and Louisiana disagreed on whether the appeals court's decision applied to every public school district in the state or only the districts party to the lawsuit. 'All school districts in the state are bound to comply with the US Constitution,' said Liz Hayes, a spokesperson for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which served as co-counsel for the plaintiffs. The appeals court's rulings 'interpret the law for all of Louisiana,' Hayes added. 'Thus, all school districts must abide by this decision and should not post the Ten Commandments in their classrooms.' Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said she disagreed and believed the ruling only applied to school districts in the five parishes that were party to the lawsuit. Murrill added that she would appeal the ruling, including taking it to the US Supreme Court if necessary. The panel of judges reviewing the case was unusually liberal for the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In a court with more than twice as many Republican-appointed judges, two of the three judges involved in the ruling were appointed by Democratic presidents. The court's ruling stems from a lawsuit filed last year by parents of Louisiana school children from various religious backgrounds, who said the law violates First Amendment language guaranteeing religious liberty and forbidding government establishment of religion. The ruling also backs an order issued last fall by US District Judge John deGravelles, who declared the mandate unconstitutional and ordered state education officials not to enforce it and to notify all local school boards in the state of his decision. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed the mandate into law last June. Landry said in a statement Friday that he supports the attorney general's plans to appeal. 'The Ten Commandments are the foundation of our laws — serving both an educational and historical purpose in our classrooms,' Landry said. Law experts have long said they expect the Louisiana case to make its way to the US Supreme Court, testing the court on the issue of religion and government. Similar laws have been challenged in court. A group of Arkansas families filed a federal lawsuit earlier this month challenging a near-identical law passed in their state. And comparable legislation in Texas currently awaits Gov. Greg Abbott's signature. In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a Kentucky law violated the Establishment Clause of the US Constitution, which says Congress can 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion.' The court found that the law had no secular purpose but served a plainly religious purpose. And in 2005, the Supreme Court held that such displays in a pair of Kentucky courthouses violated the Constitution. At the same time, the court upheld a Ten Commandments marker on the grounds of the Texas state Capitol in Austin.
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Federal appeals court blocks Louisiana's controversial law regarding public schools which put Christianity at the forefront
A federal appeals court has unanimously blocked Louisiana's controversial law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom, marking a significant victory for civil liberties groups and families who argued the mandate violated the constitutional separation of church and state. The three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed a lower court's November 2024 decision that deemed the law 'facially unconstitutional' under the First Amendment. The law, enacted this year, required all public K-12 schools and state-funded colleges to prominently display a government-approved version of the Ten Commandments, regardless of classroom subject matter. State officials had provided guidelines for the posters, but implementation was suspended pending legal challenges. 'Parents and students challenge a statute requiring public schools to permanently display the Ten Commandments in every classroom in Louisiana,' the court stated. 'The district court found the statute facially unconstitutional and preliminarily enjoined its enforcement. We affirm.' The ruling cited the precedent set by the 1980 Supreme Court case Stone v. Graham, which struck down a similar Kentucky law as unconstitutional. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Top 25 Most Beautiful Women In The World Articles Vally Civil liberties groups hailed the decision as a crucial safeguard for religious freedom and diversity. 'This is a resounding victory for the separation of church and state and public education,' said Heather L. Weaver, senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union . 'Public schools are not Sunday schools, and they must welcome all students, regardless of faith.' Liz Hayes, spokesperson for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, added, 'All school districts in the state are bound to comply with the U.S. Constitution. Thus, all school districts must abide by this decision and should not post the Ten Commandments in their classrooms.' The law had been championed by Republicans, including former President Donald Trump , as part of a broader effort to introduce religious displays in public spaces. Supporters argued the Ten Commandments are foundational to U.S. law and history. However, opponents countered that the mandate would isolate non-Christian students and violate their rights. Live Events Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill expressed strong disagreement with the ruling, stating her intent to appeal to the full Fifth Circuit and, if necessary, the U.S. Supreme Court. The case now moves closer to possible Supreme Court review , which could set a national precedent for similar laws in other states.
Economic Times
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Economic Times
Federal appeals court blocks Louisiana's controversial law regarding public schools which put Christianity at the forefront
AP A copy of the Ten Commandments (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File) A federal appeals court has unanimously blocked Louisiana's controversial law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom, marking a significant victory for civil liberties groups and families who argued the mandate violated the constitutional separation of church and three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed a lower court's November 2024 decision that deemed the law 'facially unconstitutional' under the First Amendment. The law, enacted this year, required all public K-12 schools and state-funded colleges to prominently display a government-approved version of the Ten Commandments, regardless of classroom subject matter. State officials had provided guidelines for the posters, but implementation was suspended pending legal challenges.'Parents and students challenge a statute requiring public schools to permanently display the Ten Commandments in every classroom in Louisiana,' the court stated. 'The district court found the statute facially unconstitutional and preliminarily enjoined its enforcement. We affirm.' The ruling cited the precedent set by the 1980 Supreme Court case Stone v. Graham, which struck down a similar Kentucky law as unconstitutional. Civil liberties groups hailed the decision as a crucial safeguard for religious freedom and diversity. 'This is a resounding victory for the separation of church and state and public education,' said Heather L. Weaver, senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union. 'Public schools are not Sunday schools, and they must welcome all students, regardless of faith.' Liz Hayes, spokesperson for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, added, 'All school districts in the state are bound to comply with the U.S. Constitution. Thus, all school districts must abide by this decision and should not post the Ten Commandments in their classrooms.' The law had been championed by Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, as part of a broader effort to introduce religious displays in public spaces. Supporters argued the Ten Commandments are foundational to U.S. law and history. However, opponents countered that the mandate would isolate non-Christian students and violate their rights. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill expressed strong disagreement with the ruling, stating her intent to appeal to the full Fifth Circuit and, if necessary, the U.S. Supreme Court. The case now moves closer to possible Supreme Court review, which could set a national precedent for similar laws in other states.
