In Louisiana, Ten Commandments Go Back to School
The Ten Commandments are going back to school in Louisiana this year.
In 2024, Louisiana passed a law allowing Ten Commandments displays in public school classrooms, but the measure drew immediate legal challenges from groups like the ACLU. However, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the legal challenge was “premature” because the displays had not actually been put up in schools yet. The judges noted that deciding whether the displays are constitutional or not would force the court “to hypothesize an open-ended range of possible classroom displays,” the court said. “[That] is not judging; it is guessing.”
KSLA reports some Louisiana schools began displaying the Ten Commandments during the past school year while others plan to begin displaying them this year.
In April, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said that a Texas law placing the Ten Commandments in school classrooms did not violate the Constitution. The court noted that “no child is required to recite the Commandments, believe them, or affirm their divine origin.”
The legal battles over the Ten Commandments in Texas and Louisiana directly relate to a similar legal battle in Arkansas.
Last year, lawmakers passed Act 573 of 2025 by Sen. Jim Dotson (R — Bentonville) and Rep. Alyssa Brown (R — Heber Springs) requiring privately-funded copies of the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public schools and other public buildings in Arkansas. The measure received strong support from the Arkansas Legislature.
However, lawyers from the ACLU and a group of atheist organizations sued to block the law, and the federal judge presiding over the case issued decisions claiming the Ten Commandments posters would pressure children “to observe, meditate on, venerate, and follow the State’s favored religious text, and to suppress expression of their own religious beliefs and backgrounds at school.”
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has asked the 8th Circuit to let reverse the lower court decision and let Arkansas follow Act 573.
Nothing in Act 573 “pressures” students. In 2017, Arkansas passed the National Motto Display Act allowing the national motto — “In God We Trust” — to be displayed in Arkansas’ classrooms along with the U.S. flag and the Arkansas flag. Act 573 amended the National Motto Display Act to add the Ten Commandments to the list of historical items displayed in school.
Over the years, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that states are free to honor and recognize documents or symbols that are important to our nation’s history — like the Ten Commandments or the national motto. Courts have also ruled that public school students are free to study religious texts like the Bible academically.
During her testimony for Act 573 last year, Rep. Alyssa Brown noted that the U.S. Supreme Court now uses a “longstanding history and tradition test” to decide if it is constitutional to display something like a copy of the Ten Commandments. Rep. Brown said, “The Ten Commandments without a doubt will pass this longstanding history and tradition test.”
We believe our federal courts will agree and uphold Act 573 as constitutional.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.
Facebook Owner Faces Avalanche of Lawsuits for Allegedly Harming Kids
A federal trial got underway last week in Oakland, California, over claims that social media platforms harmed children’s mental health and illegally tracked kids under 13.
The U.S. Surgeon General says 95% of American teenagers use social media, and about one-third use it “almost constantly.” But federal lawsuits have raised concerns about the harm that Big Tech can do to kids.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that jury selection began last Wednesday in a landmark case against social media giant Meta — the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.
The lawsuit claims Meta routinely collected data on children under 13 without parental consent, in violation of federal law. It also alleges the company knowingly designed its platforms to addict young users and hid what it knew about the harm its platforms caused.
Opening statements are set for this week. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram chief Adam Mosseri are both expected to testify.
The trial is part of an avalanche of lawsuits Meta currently faces in state and federal court.
In 2023, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin sued Meta in state court for endangering children. In the lawsuit, his office alleged that platforms like Facebook and Instagram are built around algorithms intentionally designed “to exploit human psychology and foster addiction to maximize users’ screen time.” The A.G. says this exploitation is especially harmful for young users with developing brains. The lawsuit is still ongoing.
Time and again, we have seen examples of just how harmful tech platforms can be — especially for children.
Courts in New Mexico and California have already found Meta liable for harming children on its platforms.
Social media giant TikTok has found itself embroiled in controversies over its failure to protect private user data from entities in China — including the Chinese Communist Party. The platform also has been accused of serving users a steady “diet of darkness” and violating laws intended to protect children online.
Late last year, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach sent a strongly worded letter to major AI developers, calling for real safeguards that protect kids. In a statement, Kobach highlighted a Topeka case in which a sexual predator used AI to create thousands of images depicting child abuse.
It’s worth pointing out that adults and teens are beginning to understand that users need protection on social media and other tech platforms.
A recent survey from the Pew Research Center revealed most adults support banning children under 16 from using social media altogether, and polling shows most teens worry that someone could use AI to generate inappropriate images of them.
Tech platforms are multibillion-dollar businesses that profit from users’ attention and emotions. The adults who own and profit from these businesses have a responsibility to protect their users — especially teenagers.
Children deserve proactive protection online. The Arkansas Legislature and Arkansas Attorney General’s office have worked hard to give children that kind of protection. Our federal courts need to do their part as well.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.