Louisiana Families Sue Over Ten Commandments Law

Facts

• Days after Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry made it mandatory for public school classrooms to display the Biblical Ten Commandments, nine families challenged it in federal court on Monday.¹
• In their court filing, Christian, Jewish, Unitarian Universalist, and non-religious families argue that the First Amendment of the US Constitution 'forbids public schools from posting the Ten Commandments in this manner.'²
• Their lawsuit also claims that the legislation 'unconstitutionally pressures' students into religious observance. The parents, pastors, and rabbis further deemed it coercion.³
• They also allege that a James Madison quote cited in the law, in which the fourth US President espouses 'the moral principles of the 10 Commandments,' is fabricated.⁴
• The parents reportedly have the support of various civil liberties groups and are also being represented pro bono by the law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.¹
• Similar mandates were ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1980, though Louisiana, alongside states like Texas, has drafted legislation to have that ruling overturned.⁵

Sources: ¹NBC, ²Rolling Stone, ³ABC News, ⁴BBC News and ⁵Timesofisrael.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by MSN. Louisiana's Ten Commandments law is a dangerous Christian nationalist move, undermining the constitutional separation of church and state and giving government endorsement to a specific religious tradition. Its proponents hope to use the current Supreme Court's right-leaning majority to further erode religious pluralism. This threatens the rights and inclusion of all non-Christian Americans, jeopardizing the nation's commitment to a diverse and respectful society.
• Right narrative, as provided by NCR. Nowhere in the Constitution does it mention the words 'church' and 'state,' and it only prohibits Congress, not states, from establishing a state religion. The Constitution does, however, mention rights granted by our 'creator,' which clearly means the country was founded on a belief in God. Furthermore, the Ten Commandments are simply a list of basic rules — like don't murder — that in no way could lead to harming students.

Predictions