Louisiana’s Ten Commandments law heads to full appeals court briefing

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A briefing in front of the full Fifth Circuit Appeals court is scheduled for Jan. 20, 2026, regarding the Ten Commandments in Louisiana public schools.

On Wednesday, the Solicitor General Benjamin Aguinaga and the Attorney General’s Office filed a brief, asking the entire court to reverse the lower court’s ruling that blocked the law to display the Ten Commandments in public classrooms.

“As seen here, there are many ways to constitutionally apply Louisiana law, and I look forward to defending it in court on January 20th. There isn’t a single Supreme Court case holding that the mere display of the 10 Commandments implicates what the Founding Fathers would have understood to be a traditional establishment of religion forbidden by the First Amendment,” said Attorney General Liz Murrill.

The state is asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit or reverse the injunction. They claim that since the posters are not visible, no one has been harmed.

In October, the Fifth Circuit vacated a previous ruling that declared the Ten Commandments law unconstitutional.

In June 2024, Gov. Jeff Landry signed HB 71 into law, requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments. Shortly after its passing, some parents filed a lawsuit against the Louisiana State Superintendent of Education, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), and five parish school boards, claiming HB 71 violates the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause.

Latest News