Federal Judge Blocks Louisiana Law Requiring Ten Commandments in Public Schools

The plaintiffs could win the case based on their argument that the law violates the First Amendment, the judge said.

A copy of the Ten Commandments is posted along with other historical documents in a hallway of the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta on June 20, 2024. John Bazemore/AP

A federal judge has blocked a recently passed Louisiana law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms by Jan. 1, 2025.

U.S. District Judge John deGravelles, in granting a preliminary injunction on Tuesday, wrote in his order that state House Bill 71 is “unconstitutional in every application.” He said the plaintiffs could win their case based on their argument that the law violates the First Amendment.