June 21 (UPI) -- Louisiana can not compel officials to display the Ten Commandments in public school and college classrooms, a federal appeals court has ruled.
"Parents and students challenge a statute requiring public schools to permanently display the Ten Commandments in every classroom in Louisiana. The district court found the statute facially unconstitutional and preliminarily enjoined its enforcement. We affirm," the appeals court panel said in its 50-page ruling issued this week.
The court ruled Louisiana's House Bill 71 violates the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, calling the requirement to display the Ten Commandments "plainly unconstitutional" while affirming a lower court ruling.
"The district court did not abuse its discretion by finding that Plaintiffs satisfied the preliminary injunction elements," the appeals court wrote, citing a similar law and subsequent ruling in Kentucky in the 1980s.
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