Nola.com reports that the unanimous appeals court decision upholds a lower court ruling.
A three-judge 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruled that the law is "plainly unconstitutional." The ruling affirms a lower court’s order barring the state from enforcing the law, which mandated that every school classroom display Ten Commandments posters printed in “large, easily readable font."
Following the ruling, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said she and her team "strongly disagree" with the ruling and plan to appeal.
Critics of the law say it shatters the longstandig divide in the United States between church and state and restricts religious freedom, while supporters — including President Donald Trump and Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry — contend that it reflects America’s Christian roots and represents a return to traditional values in public education.
Just days after Landry signed the law last year, a multifaith group of public-school parents sued in federal court, saying the mandate violates students’ First Amendment right to practice their faith free of government interference.
In November, U.S. District Court Judge John deGravelles ruled in favor of the families, calling the law unconstitutional and saying it forced students “to participate in a religious exercise: reading and considering a specific version of the Ten Commandments.” He also rejected the state's argument that the law had a secular purpose.
Louisiana is the first state to require public schools to post the Ten Commandments in more than 40 years, after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a similar Kentucky statute in 1980.
Mike Kennedy has been writing about education forAmerican School & Universitysince 1999. He also has reported on schools and other topics for The Chicago Tribune, The Kansas City Star, The Kansas City Times and City News Bureau of Chicago. He is a graduate of Michigan State University.
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