Louisiana public schools will soon learn whether they must comply with a new law requiring them to post the Ten Commandments in every classroom after a federal judge said Monday he would issue a ruling on the contested law by Nov. 15.
Lawyers for parents who sued to block the law from taking effect argued in U.S. District Court on Monday that the law violates students’ religious freedom and would cause irreparable harm if schools put up the posters by Jan. 1, as required by the new law. Attorneys for the state countered that the legal challenge was premature because schools have not yet posted the commandments, which they argued could be presented in ways that wouldn’t run afoul of the U.S. Constitution.
The five parishes where the plaintiffs’ children attend school — East Baton Rouge, Livingston, Orleans, St. Tammany and Vernon — previously agreed to wait until after Nov. 15 to post up the signs. On Monday, Judge John deGravelles said he would issue a ruling no later than that date on plaintiffs’ motion to block the law.
“The ball is now officially in my court,” deGravelles said after nearly six hours of arguments in his Baton Rouge courtroom Monday.
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Under Louisiana’s new law, Act 676, public K-12 schools and colleges must exhibit the Ten Commandments in every classroom on posters measuring at least 11 by 14 inches in “large, easily readable font.” The law dictates the wording that must be displayed, including “Thou shalt have no other gods before me,” and requires schools to post an accompanying statement explaining that some early American textbooks featured the Ten Commandments.
Just days after Gov. Jeff Landry signed the law in June, a group of parents of different faiths filed a lawsuit in federal court to stop the law from taking effect. The nine families, who are represented by several civil liberties groups, argue that the law unconstitutionally imposes religious beliefs on their children and usurps the parents’ authority to direct their children’s religious education.
In a motion to dismiss the lawsuit and at Monday’s hearing, the state’s attorneys said the court could not rule on the constitutionality of “imaginary displays” that have not yet gone up in schools.
“We think it’s premature,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill told reporters after Monday’s hearing. “What the posters say, where they are posted, when they are posted — all of that matters for legal purposes.”
But the plaintiffs’ attorneys said that if public schools are allowed to display the version of the Ten Commandments dictated by the law, it would put parents who don’t want their children exposed to the biblical text in school in an “impossible situation.” Parents would have to decide whether to send their children to schools with the displays or keep that at home in violation of the state’s truancy laws.
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“It would be incredibly difficult,” said Rev. Darcy Roake, a plaintiff who is an ordained minister in the Unitarian Universalist Church and the parent of a child who attends a New Orleans charter school.
“There would be some decisions that not only myself but other parents in the public school system would have to make,” Roake told reporters.
At issue in the case is whether the law violates the First Amendment, which forbids the government from “establishing” a state religion and protects citizens’ right to freely practice their chosen religion.
In a 1980 case called Stone v. Graham, the Supreme Court ruled that a Kentucky law requiring schools to post the Ten Commandments ran afoul of the First Amendment because its purpose was “plainly religious in nature.” However, that ruling relied on a standard that the court scrapped in a 2022 case called Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, which upheld a high school football coach’s right to pray on the field.
In its Kennedy decision, the court adopted a new First Amendment test: Is the law consistent with the country’s history and traditions?
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As a result, much of Monday’s hearing centered on a report produced for the plaintiffs that delves into the history of the Ten Commandments in American public education, law and government. The report concludes that there is no tradition of public schools displaying the commandments, and no evidence that the nation’s founders were heavily influenced by the commandments.
“It’s more or less a misnomer that the Ten Commandments underlie American law,” the report’s author, Steven Green, testified in court Monday.
Attorneys for the state have asked the judge to exclude the report as evidence in the case, which they argue is unreliable. On Monday, they sought to discredit Green, who is a professor of law and religious studies at Willamette University in Oregon.
The defense argued that Green is biased because he previously worked for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, one of the groups representing the plaintiffs. They also challenged his methodology and conclusions, including that the Ten Commandments did not play a prominent role in American education in the past.
“It is entirely subjective,” one of the state attorneys said Monday.
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Judge deGravelles, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, appeared unswayed by that argument.
“Tell me one historian who doesn’t do that,” he said.
The plaintiffs, all of whom have children in Louisiana public schools, identify as Jewish, Christian, Unitarian Universalist and non-religious.
They are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Louisiana, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Freedom from Religion Foundation. The law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is serving as pro bono counsel.
The complaint names as defendants state Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley, members of the state board of education and the districts where the plaintiffs’ children attend school.
Louisiana State Police investigating deadly hit-and-run involving bicyclist
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THE DRAFT STARTS AT 6:00. ALL RIGHT. ALSO WARM. TURNING TO WEATHER NOW A LIVE LOOK OUTSIDE ON YOUR MONDAY. WARM AND BREEZY. A COUPLE OF CLOUDS OUT THERE, BUT OVERALL A BEAUTIFUL START TO THE WORKWEEK. YEAH AND NO RAIN. LET’S GET STRAIGHT TO WDSU FIRST WARNING WEATHER METEOROLOGIST JIM SIREN. IT’S GOING TO BE PRETTY NICE ALL WEEK. YES IT IS. WE MAY SEE A COUPLE OF SPOTTY SHOWERS AS WE LOOK A LITTLE FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD, BUT MAYBE I’M OVERPLAYING THAT CHANCE FOR RAIN JUST BECAUSE WE NEED THE RAIN. HOWEVER, AS WE LOOK FARTHER DOWN THE ROAD, NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE A COLD FRONT, BUT WE HAVE A REAL GOOD CHANCE FOR RAIN, I THINK. BUT THAT’S IN THE EXTENDED EXTENDED FORECAST RIGHT NOW. SHORT TERM THINGS ARE LOOKING GOOD. PONTCHARTRAIN CONSERVANCY CAMERA SHOWING US MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES AND WITH THE SUNSHINE, WE’VE MADE IT TO THE MID 80S IN A COUPLE OF SPOTS. 85 BOGALUSA WE’RE AT 83 IN BATON ROUGE, 81 THE CURRENT TEMPERATURE IN SLIDELL. I ACTUALLY OVERHEARD A COWORKER SAY, IT’S KIND OF HOT TODAY AND I GUESS 85 DEGREES IF YOU’RE WORKING IN THE YARD. YEAH, THAT’S KIND OF HOT WINDS RIGHT NOW AT ABOUT TEN, 12, 15MPH. SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS BECOMING A BIT MORE SOUTHERLY BY MIDWEEK. THAT WILL BRING US A LITTLE MORE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE. THE DEW POINT TEMPERATURE IS GOING TO COME UP. WE’VE EVEN SEEN SOME WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 20MPH HERE OVER THE LAST HALF HOUR OR SO. SO A BREEZY DAY TODAY, A BREEZY DAY TOMORROW. OFFICIALLY RIGHT NOW AT LOUIS ARMSTRONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. WINDS BECOMING SOUTHERLY AT ABOUT 13 WITH A DEW POINT OF 61. THAT DEW POINT LIKELY COMING UP JUST A LITTLE BIT BY WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. IN THE SHORT TERM THOUGH, LET’S ENJOY THE NICE BREEZY WEATHER CLOUDS INCREASING TO THE WEST OF US, BUT IT’S REALLY HIGH PRESSURE AT THE SURFACE THAT’S GOING TO BRING US THE SOUTH TO SOUTHEASTERLY WIND TODAY, BECOMING MORE SOUTHERLY BY WEDNESDAY. THAT’S WHEN WE COULD SEE A FEW SPOTTY SHOWERS. BUT THE REAL THING THAT’S GOING TO CHANGE OUR WEATHER A LITTLE BIT IS PROBABLY GOING TO BE A COLD FRONT THAT’S GOING TO BE HERE THIS WEEKEND. WILL IT HOLD TOGETHER AS OF RIGHT NOW? I THINK SO. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS US THIS. A LOT OF DRY AIR THAT’S GOING TO BE MOVING IN. SO TOMORROW I THINK IS GOING TO BE ANOTHER DAY WITH PLENTY OF SUNSHINE. ANY CLOUD COVER, JUST LOW LEVEL CUMULUS CLOUDS THAT REALLY WON’T BUILD INTO ANYTHING. LET’S GO HOUR BY HOUR. AND FIRST OF ALL, SHOW YOU THE EVENING WALK AROUND THE BLOCK AFTER DINNER. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT. TEMPERATURES ARE GOING TO BE IN THE LOW 70S ON THE NORTH SHORE. ACTUALLY LOW 70S, JUST ABOUT EVERYWHERE. CLOUD COVER, VERY LIMITED. STILL A LITTLE BIT BREEZY TOMORROW MORNING, BUT RATHER THAN THE 50S, WE WOKE UP IN THE 50S OVER THE WEEKEND. NOW WE’RE GOING TO BE IN THE LOW 60S ON THE NORTH SHORE, MID TO UPPER 60S IN THE METRO. A TOUCH MUGGY, BUT THAT BREEZE STILL AT ABOUT 5 TO 10MPH. TOMORROW, ANOTHER MOSTLY SUNNY DAY WITH A HIGH TEMPERATURE IN THE LOW TO MID 80S. BOGALUSA. LOOKS LIKE YOU’LL GET TO THE MID 80S AGAIN TOMORROW. NOW HERE COMES THE CHANGE ON WEDNESDAY. AND GRANTED, IT’S NOT A MAJOR CHANGE, BUT HERE’S A SOUTHERLY WIND. SO THIS MODEL IS ACTUALLY PICKING UP ON 1 OR 2 SHOWERS IN THE MORNING. I THINK THIS MODEL MAY BE A LITTLE AGGRESSIVE, BUT IN THE AFTERNOON A FEW MORE SHOWERS. WE’RE PUTTING A 20% CHANCE FOR SHOWERS IN THE FORECAST ON WEDNESDAY AS WELL AS THURSDAY. IF YOU SEE A SHOWER, COUNT YOURSELF AS ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES AND YOU’LL NOTICE THAT THOSE SHOWERS SHOULD BE VERY, VERY LIGHT AT BEST. SLIGHTLY BETTER CHANCE FOR RAIN THIS WEEKEND. LET’S TRACK THIS COLD FRONT. SATURDAY, 7 A.M. GETTING CLOSER TO US BY 7 P.M. CLOUDS STARTING TO INCREASE JUST A LITTLE BIT. IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE THIS FRONT IS GOING TO BRING US A LOT OF RAIN IN 24 HOURS AGO, I THOUGHT THE FRONT WAS GOING TO WASH OUT BEFORE IT GOT HERE. NOW IT LOOKS LIKE THE FRONT IS ACTUALLY GOING TO MAKE IT. WE’LL PUT ABOUT A 20 TO 30% CHANCE FOR SHOWERS IN THE FORECAST ON SUNDAY. THIS MODEL REALLY DOESN’T HAVE MUCH SIGNIFICANT RAIN AT ALL, BUT THE FRONT SHOULD MAKE IT THROUGH. SO BY THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK, THINGS GETTING A LITTLE BIT COOLER, A LITTLE BIT DRIER FOR US, A LITTLE LESS HUMID AS WELL. SO YOUR FORECAST FOR THIS EVENING CALLING FOR MAINLY CLEAR SKIES, A LITTLE BIT MUGGY, TEMPERATURES IN THE LOW 60S ON THE NORTH SHORE MID TO UPPER 60S ELSEWHERE. TOMORROW WE’LL DO IT AGAIN A LOT LIKE TODAY. MOSTLY SUNNY, BREEZY AND WARM, 83 TO 86 FOR THE AFTERNOON HIGH. THERE’S THAT 20% CHANCE FOR SHOWERS ONCE WE GET TO WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. VERY SPOTTY SHOWERS AT BEST. COLD FRONT SHOULD BE MOVING THROUGH SUNDAY, MAYBE LATE MORNING EARLY AFTERNOON. SO BY LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON WE’LL NOTICE THE HUMIDITY DROPPING JUST A LITTLE BIT. I THINK THINGS ARE LOOKING GREAT FOR FRENCH QUARTER FEST. JUST BE PREPARED, YOU KNOW, TO GET THOSE $2 DISPOSABLE RAIN PONCHOS PUT IN YOUR BACK POCKET. IF YOU SEE ONE OF THE SHOWERS ON SUNDAY, IT’S NOT GOING TO LAST ALL THAT LONG. AND THEN WE’RE COOLER AND DRIER AND VERY PLEASANT ON MONDAY. A MUCH BETTER CHANCE FOR RAIN IN OUR EXTENDED EXTENDED FORECAST,
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Louisiana State Police investigating deadly hit-and-run involving bicyclist
Updated: 9:31 PM CDT Apr 13, 2026
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A Folsom man was killed in a hit-and-run in St. Tammany over the weekend.Louisiana State Police say Rodrigo Ornelas Jr., 24, of Folsom, was riding his bike on Sunday morning around 12:30 a.m. on LA Highway 40 at Blackwell Cemetery Road. At the same time, an unknown dark-colored sedan or small SUV was traveling east on LA Highway 40, struck Ornelas Jr., and left the scene.Police say the area was poorly lit and that he was not wearing a helmet but was dressed in light-colored clothing. Ornelas sustained serious injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment, where he later died. According to troopers, they have determined that the bicycle was equipped with reflectors but was not equipped with lights. The crash remains under investigation.
FOLSOM, La. —
A Folsom man was killed in a hit-and-run in St. Tammany over the weekend.
Louisiana State Police say Rodrigo Ornelas Jr., 24, of Folsom, was riding his bike on Sunday morning around 12:30 a.m. on LA Highway 40 at Blackwell Cemetery Road.
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At the same time, an unknown dark-colored sedan or small SUV was traveling east on LA Highway 40, struck Ornelas Jr., and left the scene.
Police say the area was poorly lit and that he was not wearing a helmet but was dressed in light-colored clothing.
Ornelas sustained serious injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment, where he later died.
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According to troopers, they have determined that the bicycle was equipped with reflectors but was not equipped with lights.
A Raceland man has been charged with vehicular homicide for a March crash that left a Chauvin man dead.
Aljean Ledet, 58, of Chauvin died, March 25, after Michael Boudreaux, 21, of Raceland, rear-ended him at the intersection of LA 56 and Josie Court, according to a news release by the Louisiana State Police. Ledet was not wearing a seatbelt.
Police gathered toxicology samples from the two men at the time of the incident and later found that Boudreaux’s blood alcohol content was over the legal limit at the time of the crash. Boudreaux has been charged with vehicular homicide, DWI (first offense), reckless operation, no seatbelt and driving under suspension.
Louisiana news: Oil discovery in Gulf near existing platform south of Louisiana coast
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Boudreaux turned himself in to Troopers, April 9, 2026, and was booked into the Terrebonne Parish jail.
On March 25, Ledet was traveling north on LA 56 in a 2008 Chevrolet Colorado. At the same time Boudreaux was in a 2006 Pontiac G6 also traveling north, the release said. Boudreaux failed to slow down and struck the rear of Ledet’s Chevrolet.
After the impact, Ledet’s vehicle was sent off the road on the right and overturned. He was unrestrained and sustained fatal injuries.
For three straight weekends prior to this one, No. 10 Southern Miss managed to escape with series wins despite giving its opponents several opportunities to win. After playing with fire for a fourth consecutive weekend, though, the Golden Eagles finally got burned badly, as they lost Sunday’s rubber match and the series to the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns at Russo Park in Lafayette.
The Golden Eagles (25-11, 8-7 Sun Belt) spent much of the weekend walking a tightrope, undone by the same issues that had lingered beneath the surface in recent series. Free passes proved especially costly in Sunday’s finale, including a bases-loaded walk that allowed Louisiana to push its lead to 6-4 in the bottom of the fifth inning. That run proved to be the difference, as the Cajuns ultimately held on to win 6-5.
It’s Gut-Check Time for the Eags
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Head coach Christian Ostrander, who was ejected in the game in the bottom of the fourth inning for arguing balls and strikes with the umpire, has to be left wondering what has happened to his Golden Eagles team that started the year on fire with a 15-2 record and several wins over high-quality opponents. Southern Miss has gone just 10-9 since that point, despite still remaining fairly high in the national rankings.
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With a big midweek game against Ole Miss in Pearl coming up on Tuesday, and a big weekend series at home against a very good Texas State team starting on Friday, it is officially gut-check time for the Golden Eagles. Hosting a regional is still not out of the question for this ballclub, but losing a second Sun Belt series certainly doesn’t help its case.
How the Rubber Match Loss Happened
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The Golden Eagles had 10 hits on Sunday, with six of those coming from junior shortstop Seth Smith and senior outfielder Joey Urban (three each). Smith connected on his second home run of the year–a solo shot to right field in the top of the sixth to bring Southern Miss within 6-5.
In the top of the ninth, senior second baseman Kyle Morrison got on base from the lead-off spot with a walk, but junior outfielder Davis Gillespie, who had been on fire lately, cooled off in this one and hit into a double play on the very next at-bat. Senior first baseman Matthew Russo got the last chance to tie the game with two outs, but he grounded out to first base to end the game and the series. Overall, the Golden Eagles left nine runners on base.
Junior RHP Thomas Crabtree got the start for the Golden Eagles but only made it 1.2 innings before being replaced by senior LHP Kros Sivley. Sivley lasted one-third of an inning before being replaced by junior RHP Josh Och (L, 3-1), who pitched for 1.1 innings before giving the ball up to sophomore RHP McCarty English for two-thirds of an inning. Altogether, Crabtree, Sivley, Och and English surrendered five hits, six earned runs, six walks, and four hit batters while registering six strikeouts.
Senior RHP JW Armistead and senior RHP Colby Allen, who made his second appearance of the weekend, came in for the final four innings (two each) and gave up zero hits or runs. However, it was a case of too little, too late, as the Golden Eagles were unable to score in the final three frames.
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The Sky Isn’t Falling… Yet
Josh House
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As bad as things might feel right now for the Golden Eagles, the sky isn’t falling… at least not yet. Although it doesn’t necessarily mean that things will end up going the same way, this year’s ballclub is still out-pacing the 2024 and 2025 teams in the win/loss column. Southern Miss was 22-14 by this point in 2024 and 24-12 in 2025. This team has the talent to turn things up a notch or two; Coach Oz and his staff will just have to find the right buttons to push to make that happen.
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Nothing would help wash away the bad taste of an upset series loss to the Ragin’ Cajuns quite like a big midweek win over an in-state rival that is coming off a weekend sweep of LSU. Southern Miss will take on Ole Miss at Trustmark Park on Tuesday at 6 p.m., looking to bounce back from its latest gut-punch. Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more baseball coverage throughout this coming week.
