Plaintiffs in the 43-page complaint argue there is “no longstanding tradition of permanently displaying the Ten Commandments in public-school classrooms in Louisiana” or across the U.S. “Indeed, for nearly half a century, it has been well settled that the First Amendment forbids public schools from posting the Ten Commandments in this manner,” the lawsuit states. “Accordingly, no federal court has upheld any display of the Ten Commandments by a public school.” The plaintiffs include nine families of different faiths with children attending public school, along with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other groups. Gov. Jeff Landry signed the legislation (H.B. 71) into law last Wednesday, making Louisiana the only state with such a requirement. After pushback from civil rights groups vowing to file a lawsuit, Landry said, “I can’t wait to be sued.” As stated in the lawsuit:Civil rights organizations have filed a lawsuit against the State of Louisiana over a new law requiring a Protestant translation of the Ten Commandments to be displayed in all schools that receive public funding, including colleges and universities.
Permanently posting the Ten Commandments in every Louisiana public-school classroom–rendering them unavoidable– unconstitutionally pressures students into religious observance, veneration, and adoption of the state’s favored religious scripture. It also sends the harmful and religiously divisive message that students who do not subscribe to the Ten Commandments—or, more precisely, to the specific version of the Ten Commandments that H.B. 71 requires schools to display—do not belong in their own school community and should refrain from expressing any faith practices or beliefs that are not aligned with the state’s religious preferences. “This law is a disturbing abuse of power by state officials,” Heather L. Weaver, senior staff attorney for the ACLU’s Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief, said in a statement. “Louisiana law requires children to attend school so they can be educated, not evangelized. In bringing today’s lawsuit, we intend to make sure that Louisiana public schools remain welcoming to all students, regardless of their faith." Alanah Odoms, executive director of the ACLU of Louisiana, said in the statement, “Public schools are not Sunday schools. We must protect the individual right of students and families to choose their own faith or no faith at all.”
