United States: The Louisiana state law that requires the posting of the Ten Commandments in every classroom in the state by January one was stalled when a federal judge ruled a preliminary injunction on Tuesday.
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The judge stated that the law is “unconstitutional on its face,” and plaintiffs are likely to succeed on the merits of the claim that the law violates the First Amendment.
This decision is in favor of the anti-stance on the law that has been upheld by those who consider the law as a violation of the doctrines of separation of church and state, hoping that with the poster-size display of the Ten Commandments, a number of students will be ostracized especially those who are not Christians.
Supporters have argued that this one is not religious in aspect, but it has a history as a precursor to the formation of the law of the US, CNN reported.
What does the US Judge state?
US District Judge John W. deGravelles in Baton Rouge entered the order in the course of a case brought by a group of parents of Louisiana public school children.
They state that the law violates First Amendment language, which does not allow the government to create or endorse a religion nor infringe on the right to freedom of religion.
The new law in LA, its population majority of which is white evangelical Christians, was signed earlier this year by a GOP-dominated Legislature in the South.
Included effective this month and championed by Republicans like former President Donald Trump, is the latest attempt by conservatives to bring religion to classrooms, from Florida legislation allowing school districts to have volunteer chaplains counseling students to Oklahoma’s state school superintendent who recently mandated that schools using public funds include the Bible in the curriculum, CNN reported.
In similar years, similar bills have cropped up in other states, such as Texas, Oklahoma, and Utah, where teachers are expected to display the Ten Commandments.
However, due to threats of legal challenges relating to the constitutionality of such measures, none have been implemented.