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2h ago

Fifth Circuit Grants En Banc Rehearing on Louisiana Ten Commandments Classroom Law

The full-court review reopens the appeal in a case testing the limits of government religious displays in schools.

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A six-foot high tablet of the Ten Commandments, which is located on the grounds of the Texas Capitol Building in Austin, Texas, is seen on February 28, 2005. On March 2, 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether the granite monument and two similar displays at a Kentucky courthouses constitute unconstitutional government establishment of religion. (Photo by Robert Daemmrich Photography Inc/Corbis via Getty Images)
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Overview

  • The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered all 17 active judges to rehear the case, setting aside a June 20 panel ruling that called the mandate plainly unconstitutional.
  • Oral argument has not been scheduled, and the law remains blocked under a district court’s preliminary injunction issued last November.
  • The statute requires at least 11-by-14-inch classroom displays with the Ten Commandments as the central focus in all public K-12 schools and state-funded colleges.
  • Civil-rights groups representing the challengers said they remain confident First Amendment protections will prevail, while Louisiana’s attorney general welcomed the en banc review.
  • Similar 2025 laws in Texas and Arkansas have been halted by judges in separate lawsuits challenging Ten Commandments display requirements.