NEW ORLEANS (AP) \u2014 A panel of three federal appellate judges has ruled that a Louisiana law requiring the Ten Commandments to be posted in each of the state\u2019s public school classrooms is unconstitutional.<\/p>\n
The ruling Friday marked a major win for civil liberties groups who say the mandate violates the separation of church and state<\/a>, and that the poster-sized displays would isolate students \u2014 especially those who are not Christian.<\/p>\n The mandate has been touted by Republicans, including President Donald Trump, and marks one of the latest pushes by conservatives to incorporate religion into classrooms<\/a>. Backers of the law argue the Ten Commandments belong in classrooms because they are historical and part of the foundation of U.S. law.<\/p>\n The plaintiffs\u2019 attorneys and Louisiana disagreed on whether the appeals court\u2019s decision applied to every public school district in the state or only the districts party to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n \u201cAll school districts in the state are bound to comply with the U.S. Constitution,\u201d said Liz Hayes, a spokesperson for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which served as co-counsel for the plaintiffs.<\/p>\n The appeals court\u2019s rulings \u201cinterpret the law for all of Louisiana,\u201d Hayes added. \u201cThus, all school districts must abide by this decision and should not post the Ten Commandments in their classrooms.\u201d<\/p>\n Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said she disagreed and believed the ruling only applied to school districts in the five parishes that were party to the lawsuit and that she would seek to appeal the ruling.<\/p>\n The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals\u2019 order stems from a lawsuit filed<\/a> last year by parents of Louisiana school children from various religious backgrounds, who said the law violates First Amendment language guaranteeing religious liberty and forbidding government establishment of religion.<\/p>\n