Louisiana

Lawsuit challenges Louisiana’s Ten Commandments requirement for schools

Published

1 year ago

June 25, 2024

Lawsuit challenges Louisiana’s Ten Commandments requirement for schools

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana — A lawsuit has been filed in federal court in Louisiana challenging the state’s recently passed law requiring the Ten Commandments be posted in every classroom in public schools.

The American Civil Liberties Union, representing parents of Louisiana public school children, confirmed in a post on social media that it was involved the lawsuit. The New York City law firm Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Freedom From Religion Foundation are also are plaintiffs, according to CBS News.

“Public schools are not Sunday schools,” the ACLU says in its post on social media. “Louisiana public schools must remain welcoming to all students, regardless of their faith.”

Under the legislation signed into law by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry last week, all public K-12 classrooms and state-funded universities will be required to display a poster-sized version of the Ten Commandments in “large, easily readable font” next year.

“There is no longstanding tradition of permanently displaying the Ten Commandments in public-school classrooms in Louisiana or the United States more generally,” the lawsuit says. “Indeed, for nearly half a century, it has been well settled that the First Amendment forbids public schools from posting the Ten Commandments in this manner.”

The lawsuit cites the 1980 Supreme Court decision striking down a similar law passed in Kentucky.

It also argues that Louisiana’s law “unconstitutionally pressures students into religious observance, veneration, and adoption of the state’s favored religious scripture.”

“It also sends the harmful and religiously divisive message that students who do not subscribe to the Ten Commandments — or, more precisely, to the specific version of the Ten Commandments that H.B. 71 requires schools to display — do not belong in their own school community and should refrain from expressing any faith practices or beliefs that are not aligned with the state’s religious preferences,” the lawsuit says. “And it substantially interferes with and burdens the right of parents to direct their children’s religious education and upbringing.”

The lawsuit filed Monday seeks a court declaration that the new law, referred to in the lawsuit as HB 71, violates First Amendment clauses forbidding government establishment of religion and guaranteeing religious liberty. It also seeks an order prohibiting the posting of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms.

Louisiana Attorney General Elizabeth Murrill has said she is looking forward to defending the state’s law. She issued a statement saying she couldn’t comment directly on the lawsuit because she had not yet seen it.

(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)

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Louisiana

Louisiana High School Football Scores – Week Six

Published

5 hours ago

October 11, 2025

Press Room

Louisiana High School Football Scores – Week Six

High school football scores from Week 6 for the state of Louisiana:

Abbeville 24, Mamou 16

Amite 48, Bogalusa 6

Ascension Catholic 42, Ascension Christian School 0

Avoyelles 36, Port Barre 14

Basile 49, Merryville 6

Baton Rouge Episcopal 33, Baker 8

Bonnabel 67, East Jefferson 0

Brusly 21, Donaldsonville 7

Buckeye 54, Vidalia 14

Bunkie 42, Caldwell Parish 6

Calvary Baptist Academy 41, Homer 12

Carroll 33, North Webster 0

Cecilia 59, Breaux Bridge 0

Cedar Creek 60, Plain Dealing 6

Central – B.R. 38, Woodlawn (BR) 21

Central Private 48, Ben Franklin 42

Chalmette 49, Ponchatoula 7

Church Point 67, Pine Prairie 0

Comeaux 62, North Vermilion 20

Covenant Christian Academy 67, Berwick 26

D’Arbonne Woods 56, Magnolia Excellence 6

Destrehan 53, H.L. Bourgeois 6

Dunham 62, Capitol 6

E.D. White 65, Morgan City 6

East Feliciana 16, Slaughter 10

East St. John 32, Central Lafourche 14

Elton def. Oberlin, forfeit

Erath 48, DeQuincy 0

Evangel Christian Academy 71, Captain Shreve 25

Franklin Parish 55, West Ouachita 28

Green Oaks 34, Bastrop 6

Hahnville 34, Thibodaux 20

Haynes Academy 35, Thomas Jefferson 27

Iota 21, Crowley 8

Iowa 33, Leesville 7

Jeanerette 62, Centerville 12

Jena 62, Marksville 46

John Curtis Christian 21, Holy Cross 13

LaSalle 46, Lakeview 12

Lafayette Christian Academy 48, Lafayette Renaissance 7

Lake Charles College Prep 43, Jennings 32

Lakeshore 41, Franklinton 27

Livonia 34, Beau Chene 15

Logansport 20, St. Mary’s 14

Loreauville 35, Delcambre 0

Lutcher 42, South Terrebonne 6

M.L. King Charter 42, JS Clark Leadership Academy 14

Madison Prep 32, Southern Lab 14

Mandeville 26, Covington 9

Mangham 56, Ferriday 48

Mansfield 38, Red River 30

Many 56, Lakeside 13

Natchitoches Central 34, Opelousas 33

Neville 56, Pineville 6

New Iberia Catholic 49, Franklin 0

North DeSoto 63, Minden 13

Oak Grove 47, Beekman 7

Peabody 54, Grant 41

Pearl River 21, Hannan 6

Pickering 48, Crescent City 0

Pine 50, Albany 22

Plaquemine 40, McKinley 0

Pointe Coupee Catholic 40, North Central 6

Pope John Paul 42, St. Thomas Aquinas 6

Prairieville 44, East Ascension 27

Riverside Academy 49, St. Martin’s 0

Ruston 21, Ouachita Parish 14

Saint Paul’s 41, Hammond 12

Shaw 24, St. James 20

Southwood 36, Woodlawn (SH) 22

St. Charles Catholic 31, Terrebonne 28

St. Edmund Catholic 60, Academy of Sacred Heart-Grand Coteau 0

St. Thomas More 42, Northside 0

Sterlington 40, Richwood 0

Sulphur 44, New Iberia 41

Teurlings Catholic 64, RHS 0

Vandebilt Catholic 34, South Lafourche 20

Vermilion Catholic 63, Highland Baptist 0

Vinton 50, Westminster Christian (LAF) 20

Washington-Marion 60, LaGrange 36

Welsh 12, Loranger 0

West Monroe 34, Alexandria 31

West St. John 46, Varnado 6

West St. Mary 30, Houma Christian 0

Westgate 22, St. Martinville 0

Westlake 21, St. Louis 13

Young Audiences Charter 68, Jefferson Rise 6

Zachary 31, Scotlandville 16

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Louisiana

Bollinger Shipyards in Houma wins U.S. defense deal

Published

16 hours ago

October 10, 2025

Press Room

Bollinger Shipyards in Houma wins U.S. defense deal

Governor Jeff Landry and Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan B. Bourgeois issued the following joint statement on Bollinger Shipyards in Houma winning a U.S. defense deal.

Yesterday’s announcement of the U.S. Coast Guard’s selection of a Bollinger-led international team to build six Arctic Security Cutters marks a pivotal moment for Louisiana’s shipbuilding industry—and for America’s commitment to strengthening and onshoring critical defense manufacturing. We congratulate Ben Bordelon and the entire Bollinger Shipyards team for earning this contract and for demonstrating the strength of a Louisiana legacy industry that continues to innovate and lead on the global stage.
This administration has doubled down on supporting homegrown businesses, and Bollinger’s success is a powerful validation of that focus. For generations, Bollinger has embodied what Louisiana does best—transforming craftsmanship into cutting-edge capability. By embracing new technologies, the company remains at the forefront of America’s defense manufacturing future while earning international recognition.
We also recognize the leadership of President Trump in advancing this opportunity. His administration’s prioritization of Arctic security reflects a bold, strategic vision to strengthen America’s industrial base and national security.
This contract is more than a win for Bollinger; it’s a win for Louisiana’s workforce, for our supply chain and for the broader effort to ensure America builds its future here at home. Together, we are proving that the next chapter of American manufacturing and national defense can, and should, be built right here in Louisiana.
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