**Federal Appeals Court Blocks Louisiana's Ten Commandments Classroom Law**

Louisiana's attempt to mandate the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms has been halted once again. On Wednesday, a federal appeals court in New Orleans upheld a previous ruling that blocks the enforcement of the law. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the state's request to suspend an order from U.S. District Judge John deGravelles in Baton Rouge, who earlier concluded that the law is "overtly religious" and "unconstitutional on its face."

Judge deGravelles argued that requiring the Ten Commandments in classrooms equates to unconstitutional religious coercion of students who are mandated by law to attend school. The legislation, passed earlier this year by Louisiana's Republican-majority Legislature and signed by Republican Governor Jeff Landry in June, faced immediate legal challenges by a coalition of Louisiana public school parents from various faiths.

These parents claim that the law breaches the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from establishing a religion or impeding its free exercise. They also argue the mandatory poster-sized displays would alienate non-Christian students and note that the specified version of the Ten Commandments aligns predominantly with Protestant beliefs, diverging from those in Jewish tradition.

Supporters of the law, including Republican state Attorney General Elizabeth Murrill, contend that the Ten Commandments bear historical significance and underpin much of U.S. legal foundations. Murrill expressed her disagreement with deGravelles' ruling, asserting that the law is consistent with Supreme Court precedents.

Louisiana is not alone in this legislative pursuit. States such as Texas, Oklahoma, and Utah have seen similar bills proposed but none have successfully passed. Reflecting on historical context, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1980 that a similar law in Kentucky was unconstitutional, emphasizing that it did not serve a secular purpose but had an inherently religious intent, thereby violating the First Amendment's establishment clause.