(BATON ROUGE) Louisiana will delay enacting its policy requiring a copy of the Ten Commandments to be placed in every classroom in the state's public schools until at least November, according to an agreement approved by a federal judge Friday.
A lawsuit was filed in June by parents of Louisiana public school students from various religious backgrounds. They argued that the law violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits the establishment of religion by government and guarantees religious freedom.
Supporters of the law say the Ten Commandments have a place in classrooms because they are historic and part of the foundation of American law.
In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a similar law in Kentucky violated the U.S. Constitution, which states that Congress “shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” The court found that the law had no secular purpose, but served a religious purpose.
In 2005, the Supreme Court ruled that such displays in two Kentucky courts violated the Constitution. However, the highest U.S. court allowed a copy of the wills to be kept in Austin, on the grounds of the Texas State Capitol.
