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Some Louisiana schools can’t post Ten Commandments while law is challenged

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Some Louisiana schools can’t post Ten Commandments while law is challenged


Last month, Gov. Jeff Landry (R) signed a bill that made Louisiana the only state that requires public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom — a move that quickly prompted a group of parents to file a lawsuit alleging the new law is unconstitutional.

But while the law is tested in court, Louisiana has to hold off on posting biblical signs in the five parishes where the plaintiffs’ children attend school, according to an agreement approved Friday by a federal judge.

In an order, U.S. District Judge John deGravelles of Louisiana’s Middle District set a hearing for Sept. 30 with a ruling expected by Nov. 15. Until then, the Ten Commandments can’t be displayed in schools located in the parishes of East Baton Rouge, Livingston, Orleans, St. Tammany and Vernon. Additionally, the state’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education cannot “promulgate advice, rules or regulations regarding proper implementation” of the new law until Nov. 15, the agreement states.

Under the new law, public K-12 schools and college classrooms must display the Ten Commandments — religious and ethical directives that in the Bible are handed down to the prophet Moses — on posters measuring at least 11 by 14 inches and featuring “large, easily readable font.” Schools are also required to post a three-paragraph statement that explains how the texts were “a prominent part of American public education” from the late 17th century through the late 20th century. The law gives schools until Jan. 1 to put up the Ten Commandments, and requires them to use donated posters or spend donated money, rather than public funds, to buy the displays.

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Since it overwhelmingly passed in the Republican-controlled state legislature, the law has drawn national attention and become the latest example of lawmakers undertaking efforts that blur the lines between church and state — a battle that has particularly been brewing in public schools.

Five days after Landry signed the bill, on June 24, a coalition of advocacy groups, including the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, and the American Civil Liberties Union’s national and state offices, filed a federal lawsuit. The plaintiffs in the case are nine Louisiana families of different faiths — among them four members of the clergy — who allege the law violates First Amendment language forbidding government establishment of religion and guaranteeing religious liberty.

“Permanently posting the Ten Commandments in every Louisiana public-school classroom — rendering them unavoidable — unconstitutionally pressures students into religious observance, veneration, and adoption of the state’s favored religious scripture,” says the suit, which charges that there is no long-standing tradition of hanging the commandments in classrooms and that courts have already ruled against the practice.

On July 8, the groups filed a motion for a preliminary injunction, asking the court to refrain from imposing the law or allowing any related enforcement of it during pending legal proceedings. The move, said Rev. Darcy Roake, a plaintiff in the case, sought to “ensure that our family’s religious-freedom rights are protected from day one of the upcoming school year.”

“The Ten Commandments displays required under state law will create an unwelcoming and oppressive school environment for children, like ours, who don’t believe in the state’s official version of scripture,” Darcy said in a statement this month. “We believe that no child should feel excluded in public school because of their family’s faith tradition.”

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However, under the terms of the agreement, only students in five Louisiana parishes won’t see the Ten Commandments when they return to school next month.

The latest pushes to post the Ten Commandments in schools comes after similar — albeit failed — attempts throughout decades. In 1980, the Supreme Court ruled that a similar law in Kentucky violated the establishment clause of the Constitution, which bars the federal government from favoring any one religion. Other proposals to display the Ten Commandments in schools have been introduced — but have not become law — in Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi and South Carolina.

Yet, recent Supreme Court rulings have been more lenient toward religion in schools. In 2022, the court ruled in favor of a Washington state football coach who knelt at midfield to pray and was joined by student-athletes. The prayers were protected by the Constitution’s guarantees of free speech and religious exercise, the court ruled.

The Louisiana law has already been praised by members of the religious right and has found the support of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

During a gathering of the evangelical Faith and Freedom Coalition, Trump endorsed the Ten Commandments law, telling attendees: “Has anyone read the ‘Thou shalt not steal?’ I mean, has anybody read this incredible stuff? It’s just incredible. They don’t want it to go up. It’s a crazy world.’’

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At the Republican National Convention on Thursday, the law was once again touted — this time by Landry, who connected it with the assassination attempt against Trump.

“I would submit that maybe if the Ten Commandments were hanging on [Thomas Matthew Crooks’] wall at the school that he was in, maybe he wouldn’t have took a shot at the president,” Landry said in an interview with Nexstar, the Louisiana Illuminator reported.

Anumita Kaur and Michelle Boorstein contributed to this report.



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Louisiana

Louisiana federal judge delays posting Ten Commandments in some schools until ruling

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Louisiana federal judge delays posting Ten Commandments in some schools until ruling


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A Louisiana federal judge has said five school systems will have to wait to post the Ten Commandments in classrooms until at least Nov. 15 as the case questioning the constitutionality of the state’s new law begins in Middle District Court in Baton Rouge.

This summer, Louisiana became the first state to require that the Ten Commandments be posted in every public school and university classroom by Jan. 1, 2025.

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U.S. District Court Judge John deGravelles’s order said he will set a hearing Sept. 30 with a ruling expected by mid-November.

The ruling technically impacts only East Baton Rouge, Livingston, Orleans, St. Tammany and Vernon parishes, where parents and civil rights groups sued to block the new law, but the Louisiana Department of Education agreed not to issue its advice, rules and regulations on implementation before Nov. 15.

A spokesman for Republican Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill insisted the law that goes into effect Jan. 1, 2025 isn’t stalled unless the court rules otherwise.

“Specifically, the five defendant school boards and the defendant individuals agreed not to post the Ten Commandments in public schools or promulgate related advice, rules or regulations before Nov. 15,” said Lester Duhe’, a spokesman for Murrill, said in a statement. “But they and all other Louisiana schools remain subject to the law and its January 2025 compliance deadline. So once again — the law is not paused, blocked or halted.”

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Louisiana’s new law, drafted by Republican Haughton state Rep. Dodie Horton and signed by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, requires the Ten Commandments be displayed on posters at least 11 by 14 inches with “large, easily readable font.”

The new law has drawn intense national interest and attention, including from Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who voiced his support last month both on a social media post and during a campaign speech.

“Has anyone read the ‘Thou shalt not steal’? I mean, has anybody read this incredible stuff? It’s just incredible,” Trump said during a speech at the Faith & Freedom Coalition Conference. “They don’t want it to go up. It’s a crazy world.’’

Horton said the displays aren’t advocating for any specific religion, even though they are a key tenet in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.

“The Ten Commandments are the plumb line on which all our laws are based,” Horton said in a previous interview with USA Today Network.

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But others, including those who have sued to block the law, don’t believe it will stand up in court.

“The law violates the separation of church and state and is blatantly unconstitutional,” The American Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Freedom from Religion Foundation said in a news release.

More: Trump touts Louisiana Ten Commandments law courting Christian voters ahead of Biden debate

Greg Hilburn covers Louisiana politics for the USA Today Network. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1. 



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Louisiana residents can get discount on tickets for National WWII Museum in New Orleans

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Louisiana residents can get discount on tickets for National WWII Museum in New Orleans


NEW ORLEANS (BRPROUD) — The National WWII Museum in New Orleans is offering a summer discount on admission prices.

According to the museum, general admission will be half-priced for Louisiana residents throughout July. Visitors can tour immersive exhibits, multimedia experiences and see a wide collection of artifacts.

Some guided tours will also be available at a discounted rate of $20 this summer.

The museum said July is the last month to see its special exhibition honoring the American women who served during World War II.

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Residents who want to get the admission discount must show a valid Louisiana state ID. The discount is limited to four admissions per ID, according to the museum.

Tickets can be bought online.

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An Open Letter to Louisiana Waffle Houses – About This Weekend

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An Open Letter to Louisiana Waffle Houses – About This Weekend


Dear Louisiana Waffle House Restaurants,

I know you’re surprised to be hearing from the likes of me, especially at this time of day. I know our time together is usually on the “dark side” of the clock. It’s during the nighttime hours that you have always been a beacon of light, a beacon of hope, a beacon of bacon at two in the morning. I want you to know, that our time, especially at that time of day has been really important to me.

GioandJC via YouTube

GioandJC via YouTube

But our wee-small-hour meals involving your oversized portions of delicious home-cooked masterpieces aren’t just about me. They’re about a lot of my friends too. While I am a regular patron of your food-enriched friendship during the week. A lot of my friends only know the glory that is Waffle House on the weekends. 

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And now it looks as if those special weekend moments are being taken away.

UTubeGlennAR via YouTube

UTubeGlennAR via YouTube

Okay, we understand that you had to do what you had to do. We also know that the reason you had to do it was because of “us”. No, not the “us” that runs in my friendship circles but the “us” whose parents didn’t bother to teach their kids basic social skills at home.

Hey, we’re sorry that some people’s children can’t come into a Waffle House at 2:30 in the morning without causing a drunken ruckus. We also know that you have to protect your employees from those who might make poor choices after a night in the bars. And we get it. You don’t deserve that from “us”. You deserve better, dear Waffle House.

Jonathan Weiss // Shutterstock

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Jonathan Weiss // Shutterstock

I can’t help but think how many lives you kept from being scattered, smothered, and covered in six feet of dirt just by being there. Perhaps it was your pecan waffle, a side of bacon and grits, and several cups of strong coffee that helped sober up a driver who shouldn’t have been behind the wheel.

Perhaps it was your booth, reserved for two guests or more, especially during peak hours that allowed a designated driver time to arrive to pilot a polluted friend home after a bowl of Bert’s Chili and a conversation about the pitfalls of driving under the influence.

@sadolemisssimp via X

@sadolemisssimp via X

Again, we understand why you had to change. We understand why your beautiful booths, clean bathrooms, and “The Mark” will be closed to the public from 11:30 pm until 6 am on Fridays and Saturdays. We know it’s not you. It’s us. And we are sorry, we should have behaved better.

Look, we know we can still get your delicious food “to go” in the hours when most people slumber. But it just won’t be the same. We will miss your all-night wait staff that calls us “Darlin” or “Sugar”. We will miss the fact that some of your employees refer to spicy ground pork served in a patty as “sawsha” instead of sausage.

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Ikura Prime via YouTube

Ikura Prime via YouTube

But mostly we will miss what we love about Waffle House, it’s the feeling of being in a Waffle Home. If we behave and sales start to slip in the overnight hours would you consider taking us back on the weekend? We hope so.

Extending love from syrup-covered sticky fingers, take care,

Signed “US”

10 Best Cajun/Creole Seasonings

There are lots of amazing Cajun and/or Creole seasonings around Acadiana. However, we asked you, and here are the top selections.

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Gallery Credit: Jude Walker

 





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