Louisiana public schools cannot display the Ten Commandments, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge John deGravelles delivered the decision on Tuesday morning. 

DeGravelles, appointed by former President Barack Obama, ruled that the law is “unconstitutional on its face,” and has an “overtly religious” purpose. 

“I believe that a law posting the 10 commandments is unconstitutional. The majority of constituents in District 98 strongly oppose the 10 commandments. I voted against the bill, and I hope that the courts will continue to reject the law,” State Rep. Aimee Adatto Freeman, who represents Tulane’s district, said in an email to The Hullabaloo. 

This is not the end of the lawsuit. DeGravelles granted a preliminary injunction filed by the opponents of the law, a group of nine families and several clergy members, which will block the law from going into effect on Jan. 1. 

“We strongly disagree with the court’s decision and will immediately appeal,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said.  

Murrill, a Republican, has supported the law since its inception.  

DeGravelles said opponents of the law are likely to win their ongoing lawsuit. 

Many predict that appellants will appeal the lawsuit, which will make its way through the appeals courts, possibly reaching the U.S. Supreme Court. There, Supreme Court justices could pit the case against precedent of the church and state.   

In June 2024, when the law was first signed, President-elect Donald Trump posted on Truth Social, “I LOVE THE TEN COMMANDMENTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, PRIVATE SCHOOLS, AND MANY OTHER PLACES, FOR THAT MATTER. READ IT — HOW CAN WE, AS A NATION, GO WRONG???”