In the case of Darcy Roake et al. v. Cade Brumley et al., Judge deGravelles published a ruling that disagreed with the defendant’s claim that the Ten Commandments were historically essential to public education in United States history.

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed House Bill 71 into law this June. The bill, scheduled to take effect on New Year’s Day, requests public school classrooms to exhibit “certain historical documents,” such as the Ten Commandments, the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence and the Northwest Ordinance. 

House Bill 71 states: “Recognizing the historical role of the Ten Commandments accords with our nation’s history and faithfully reflects the understanding of the founders of our nation with respect to the necessity of civic morality to a functional self-government. Including the Ten Commandments in the education of our children is part of our state and national history, culture, and tradition.”

A secular group of parents, backed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation and Americans United for Separation of Church and State, sued the state, complaining that “This law sends a contrary message of religious intolerance that one denomination or faith system is officially preferable to others, and that those who don’t adhere to it are lesser in worth and status. For nearly half a century, it has been well settled that the First Amendment forbids public schools from posting the Ten Commandments in this manner.”

According to Judge deGravelles: “The historical evidence showed that the instances of using the Ten Commandments in public schools were too ‘scattered’ to amount to ‘convincing evidence that it was common’ at the time of the Founding or incorporation of the First Amendment to utilize the Decalogue in public-school education. That is, the evidence demonstrates that the practice at issue does not fit within and is otherwise not consistent with a broader historical tradition during those time periods.”

The American Civil Liberties Union praised the ruling. Heather L. Weaver, senior staff attorney for their Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief, emphasized her support: “This ruling should serve as a reality check for Louisiana lawmakers who want to use public schools to convert children to their preferred brand of Christianity. Public schools are not Sunday schools, and today’s decision ensures that our clients’ classrooms will remain spaces where all students, regardless of their faith, feel welcomed.”

In response, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill advocated the new law on social media, emphasizing her support the following way: “The 10 Commandments are pretty simple (don’t kill, steal, cheat on your wife), but they also are important to our country’s foundations. Moses, who you may recall brought the 10 Commandments down from Mount Sinai, appears eight times in carvings that ring the United States Supreme Court Great Hall ceiling. I look forward to defending the law.”

Source: https://www.christianpost.com