Court temporarily limits scope of ruling that Louisiana's Ten Commandments law is unconstitutional

Source: AP

Updated 6:57 PM EST, November 15, 2024


NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court in New Orleans on Friday temporarily limited the scope of a ruling that Louisiana’s law requiring public schools to post the Ten Commandments in all classrooms next year is unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge John deGravelles’ ruling that the law is unconstitutional remains in effect under the order from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. However, the appellate court temporarily blocked a part of the ruling that requires state education officials to notify public schools statewide that the law has been struck down.

State attorneys said in an emergency stay motion filed Wednesday that deGravelles’ finding that the commandments posting requirement is unconstitutional only affects five local school systems that are defendants in the case. They said deGravelles overstepped his authority when he ordered that schools in all 72 districts be notified of his finding. They asked that the notification requirement be paused immediately while they appeal all of deGravelles’ order. That broader appeal was filed later Friday night.

Friday’s 5th Circuit order was a temporary “administrative stay” granted in response to the state’s emergency request. The order may be altered or lifted as the appeal progresses. Judges Jerry Smith, nominated to the court by former President Ronald Reagan, and Kurt Engelhardt, nominated by former President Donald Trump, voted to grant the stay in a one-sentence order. A footnote said Judge James Graves, nominated by former President Barack Obama, would have denied the stay.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/louisiana-schools-ten-commandments-bebd5993af3070e69614de641f4f511f