Worthy Christian News > US News > Appeals Court Blocks Louisiana’s Ten Commandments Law, Igniting New Battle Over Religious Heritage in Schools

Appeals Court Blocks Louisiana’s Ten Commandments Law, Igniting New Battle Over Religious Heritage in Schools

by Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Staff

(Worthy News) – A federal appeals court has once again sided with secular activists over America’s religious foundations, striking down a Louisiana law that requires public schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms. The decision, issued Friday by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, upheld a lower court ruling that blocked implementation of the law.

House Bill 71, signed into law last year by Republican Governor Jeff Landry, mandated that classrooms post the Ten Commandments as a reminder of the moral and legal principles that helped shape the United States. The law also allowed schools to display other key documents, including the Declaration of Independence and the Mayflower Compact.

Governor Landry, defending the legislation, said at the time of signing, “If you want to respect the rule of law, you’ve got to start from the original law given, which was Moses.” Supporters of the law argue that the Ten Commandments are not just religious doctrine, but also a vital part of the historical framework that underpins American jurisprudence.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, who has led the defense of the law, highlighted the Commandments’ deep ties to American legal tradition, noting that Moses and the Ten Commandments are prominently featured in the U.S. Supreme Court’s own architecture. “The 10 Commandments are pretty simple (don’t kill, steal, cheat on your wife), but they also are important to our country’s foundations,” she said.

Yet despite the law’s clear acknowledgment of America’s moral roots, the appeals court sided with activists led by Americans United for Separation of Church & State, a left-wing group that has long sought to strip public spaces of any reference to religious tradition. The court’s opinion, written by Judge Irma Carrillo Ramirez, a Biden appointee, claimed the law caused “significant practical harm” to students’ First Amendment rights.

“This ruling will ensure that Louisiana families — not politicians or public-school officials — get to decide if, when and how their children engage with religion,” said Rachel Laser, head of the group that led the lawsuit. Critics say such arguments distort the original intent of the First Amendment, which was designed to protect religious expression—not banish it from public life.

The Louisiana law is part of a broader effort by conservatives to restore America’s spiritual heritage in schools, as leftist activists and judges continue to push God out of the public square. Similar measures are being proposed in other states, including Tennessee and Montana, as citizens push back against the decades-long trend of erasing faith from the nation’s institutions.

Legal observers expect the case to make its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where it could provide a much-needed correction to misguided precedents like the 1980 decision striking down a similar Kentucky law. That ruling, critics say, ignored the historical and educational value of the Ten Commandments and misread the Establishment Clause.

As the battle continues, supporters of the law say they remain committed to defending America’s moral foundations against efforts to rewrite history and silence faith in the public square.

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