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Louisiana Families Sue Over Ten Commandments Law
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The Facts
Days after Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry made it mandatory for public school classrooms to display the Biblical Ten Commandments, nine families challenged it in federal court on Monday.
In their court filing, Christian, Jewish, Unitarian Universalist, and non-religious families argue that the First Amendment of the US Constitution "forbids public schools from posting the Ten Commandments in this manner."
The Spin
Left narrative
Louisiana's Ten Commandments law is a dangerous Christian nationalist move, undermining the constitutional separation of church and state and giving government endorsement to a specific religious tradition. Its proponents hope to use the current Supreme Court's right-leaning majority to further erode religious pluralism. This threatens the rights and inclusion of all non-Christian Americans, jeopardizing the nation's commitment to a diverse and respectful society.
Right narrative
Nowhere in the Constitution does it mention the words "church" and "state," and it only prohibits Congress, not states, from establishing a state religion. The Constitution does, however, mention rights granted by our "creator," which clearly means the country was founded on a belief in God. Furthermore, the Ten Commandments are simply a list of basic rules — like don't murder — that in no way could lead to harming students.