American state gets sued over Ten Commandments regulation
Date
6/27/2024 8:19:08 AM
(MENAFN) The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and several activist groups, alongside nine Louisiana families, have filed a lawsuit against the state challenging a newly enacted law that mandates publicly funded schools to display copies of the Ten Commandments in classrooms. Filed in the United States District Court in Baton Rouge on Monday, the plaintiffs argue that the law significantly infringes upon parents' constitutional rights to raise their children according to their chosen religious beliefs.
According to the lawsuit, the mandated display of the Ten Commandments sends a divisive and potentially exclusionary message within school communities, suggesting that students of different religious backgrounds may not fully belong. Governor Jeff Landry signed the legislation into law, positioning Louisiana as the first state in the United States to enforce such a requirement across primary, secondary schools, and universities that receive state funding. The law specifies the use of a Protestant translation of the biblical verses.
Among those challenging the law are Reverend Jeff Sims of a Presbyterian church in Madisonville, Louisiana, who believes that favoring one version of the Ten Commandments and imposing its display in public schools constitutes unwarranted governmental intrusion into matters of personal religious belief. The lawsuit's plaintiffs include parents representing diverse religious affiliations, as well as individuals who identify as non-religious.
Alanah Odoms, executive director of the ACLU's Louisiana chapter, condemned the law as an act of religious indoctrination and argued that it blatantly violates the principle of religious freedom enshrined in the United States Constitution. She emphasized that the legal challenge seeks to uphold the rights of all Louisiana families to determine their own religious practices without government interference.
As the lawsuit unfolds, it underscores broader debates over the separation of church and state and the limits of government authority in matters of religious expression within public educational institutions. The outcome of this legal battle could have significant implications not only for Louisiana but also for similar legislative efforts across the United States.
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