A fierce constitutional clash is back on the docket in Louisiana, where the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has decided to revisit its own ruling that struck down a law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school and university classroom.
The law, once hailed by state conservatives as a moral statement and condemned by critics as a breach of church-state separation, had been deemed “plainly unconstitutional” by a three-judge panel earlier this year. Now, the court’s full roster of 17 active judges will hear the case en banc, reopening one of the country’s most polarizing debates on faith and public education.
The measure mandated every classroom—whether in a kindergarten or a state university—to display a framed or poster-sized version of the Ten Commandments, no smaller than 11 by 14 inches, with the biblical text as the “central focus.” The law never took effect, having been halted by a lower court last year after nine families, including clergy, sued, claiming it violated the First Amendment’s ban on state-endorsed religion.
Louisiana became the first state since 1980 to attempt such a mandate, echoing a Kentucky law the Supreme Court had long ago struck down. The move sparked similar efforts in Arkansas and Texas, both of which now face legal challenges of their own.
Supporters argued that the Ten Commandments were foundational to American law and morality. Opponents countered that the state was effectively using classrooms as pulpits. “Religious freedom for all students and families will prevail,” said a coalition of groups opposing the law, insisting that the First Amendment’s core promise remains untouchable.
The state’s top officials, Governor Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill, both Republicans, have stood by the measure and pushed for its revival. They urged the full court to reconsider what they described as a flawed interpretation of precedent, particularly in light of a 2022 Supreme Court ruling that sided with a football coach who prayed on the field after games.
The 5th Circuit, known as one of the nation’s most conservative appellate courts, now holds the power to reshape the contours of church-state boundaries across the South—and possibly, the entire country.
No date has been set for oral arguments, but the outcome could reverberate far beyond Louisiana’s classrooms, testing how far faith can reach into the public square under the Constitution’s enduring first commandment: freedom of religion.
