Civil Rights group file lawsuit to stop Ten Commandments from being posted in Louisiana classrooms

BATON ROUGE, La (KLFY)-- Multiple families in addition to the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU Louisiana and other organizations, filed a federal lawsuit in Baton Rouge to block the new law requiring the Ten Commandments to be on display in public classrooms. Petitioners of the lawsuit say their goal is to advocate how the new law is unconstitutional and does not separate church and state.

Heather Weaver with the ACLU is just one of the many people who have band together to file a lawsuit against members of Louisiana's Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, as well as multiple school board parishes.

"We ask the court to declare that this law is unconstitutional to enjoin the state from implementing it, as well as school districts, and to make clear that religious freedom means that the state can't impose scripture on public schools or on public school children."

Along with Weaver are other representative for civil rights organizations and parents like Josh Herlands who say not only is the new law is unconstitutional, but is divisive and unamerican.

"This law has no educational benefit and is incredibly frustrating to me that our politicians are spending their time on divisive legislation such as this. instead of actually crafting laws that can help our students in the classrooms," says Herlands.

The complaint is being filed on behalf of nine families who practice a different religion or no religion. the diverse group of petitioners range from ministers who practice the Christian faith, to people who just want their freedom of religion to be respected.

Patrick Elliot with the Freedom From Religion Foundation says this new law is in violation of students and families first amendment rights. "This law violates the First Amendment and long standing supreme court precedent. More than forty years ago, in Stone v. Graham, the Supreme Court overturned a similar law because the constitution forbids public schools from posting the Ten Commandments."

Attorney Jonathan Youngwood says now that the petition is filed, the next step is to have a hearing.

"We hope to prosecute that preliminary injunction with with all speed and work toward a hearing as soon as possible this summer so that this law can never effectively be implemented for the children of."

In response to the lawsuit, Attorney General Liz Murrill told News 10 "We cannot comment on a lawsuit we haven't seen. it seems the ACLU only selectively cares about the First Amendment - it doesn't care when the Biden Administration censors speech or arrests pro-life protesters, but apparently it will fight to prevent posters that discuss our own legal history."

The New law is effective immediately but does not go into compliance until January of 2025.