Appeals Court Upholds Ruling Blocking Louisiana’s Ten Commandments Poster Law for Some Public Schools

The law will be stayed in five school districts named in the case, remaining in effect in other parts of the state pending a final decision.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill holds up a mini-display showing the Ten Commandments during a press conference in Baton Rouge, La., on Aug. 5, 2024. Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate via AP, File

A federal appeals court in New Orleans has rejected the state’s request to overturn a lower court ruling that blocked and declared unconstitutional a Louisiana law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms.

However, since the appeals court previously limited the block to just five school districts involved in ongoing litigation, state officials remain free to enforce the law in the remaining 67 districts, pending a final decision in the case.