Louisiana Ten Commandments law delayed until November by lawsuit

A federal judge approved an agreement on Friday to delay Louisiana's new Ten Commandments law until at least November, as a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the law makes it way through court.

A group of parents sued the state over the new bill last month, claiming it violates the First Amendment and infringes on parents' control in the religious upbringing of their children. But supporters of the law argue that the Ten Commandments are historical documents that belong in public school classrooms.

Lester Duhle, a spokesman for Louisiana Attorney General Liz Merrill, said officials “agreed to not take public-facing compliance measures until November 15” so they can prepare arguments and get a ruling, according to the Associated Press.

Under the new law, the Commandments must be posted in public classrooms by no later than Jan. 1, a provision which is not expected to be affected by the November agreement. 

The Supreme Court has struck down similar legislation in the past, arguing in the 1980s that a similar law violated the Constitution because it had no secular meaning, and was clearly a religious move. It also said a Ten Commandments display was unconstitutional in 2005 at a Kentucky Courthouse. But it did allow a Ten Commandments marker on the grounds of the Texas state Capitol.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.