Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman is leading an 18-state coalition in support of a Louisiana law that requires public schools and universities to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms.
A federal judge ruled the law unconstitutional in November, saying the law had an overtly religious purpose and issued a preliminary injunction blocking state officials from enforcing it.
Louisiana’s GOP-dominated Legislature passed the law earlier this year. It requires schools to display a context statement along with the Commandments, providing examples of how they are a historical part of American public education.
Proponents of the law, including Coleman, say the government can mandate the posting of the Ten Commandments because they hold historical significance as part of the foundation of United States law.
“From our founding documents to the establishment of the rule of law in the United States, the Ten Commandments’ influence on American history is undeniable,” Coleman said in a written statement. “I am proud to support Attorney General Liz Murrill and Louisiana in the effort to preserve our shared history and educate future generations.”
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1980 that a similar Kentucky law was unconstitutional because it violated the First Amendment, which says Congress can “make no law respecting an establishment of religion.”
The Republican attorneys general supporting the Louisiana law argue the order blocking it was flawed because it relied on an outdated Supreme Court ruling.
Louisiana’s legislation has been touted by Republicans including President-elect Donald Trump and is part of a larger push by conservatives to incorporate Christianity into classrooms, such as a law in Oklahoma requiring public schools to incorporate the Bible into lessons.
The case will be argued in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Louisiana next month.
State government and politics reporting is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
