A Louisiana law requiring public school classrooms to display posters of the Ten Commandments has been halted by a federal judge who ruled the law “facially unconstitutional.”

The justiceHB 71, was signed into law in June. It requires public school classrooms — regardless of grade level or subject matter — to display large posters of the document at least 11 inches by 14 inches and in a “large, easy-to-read font.” Supporters of the law argued that it did not violate the First Amendment’s establishment clause, arguing that the displays were intended to educate students about the historical impact of the Ten Commandments rather than to religiously indoctrinate them. The law also prohibited taxpayer funds from supporting the posters, instead requiring schools to accept donations.

The law was met almost immediately with a legal challenge from parents who argued that the mandate infringed on their ability to instill preferred religious values ​​in their children.

The law “unconstitutionally pressures students to respect, venerate, and adopt state-favored religious scripture,” according to the costumefiled in June. “It also sends the harmful and religiously divisive message that students who do not subscribe to the Ten Commandments — or, more specifically, the specific version of the Ten Commandments that HB 71 requires schools to display — do not belong in the community their school. and should refrain from expressing any faith practices or beliefs that are not aligned with the state’s religious preferences”.

On Tuesday, Louisiana federal judge John W. deGravelles granted a preliminary injunction on the law, written that HB 71 “is not religion-neutral, and this is evident from the text of the statute, its effects, and the statements of legislators before and after the passage of the Act.

“Because the law is not neutral,” deGravelles continued, “it easily fails strict scrutiny analysis; even assuming that the AG defendants had established a compelling interest (e.g., in education or history), there are plenty of ways they could advance an alleged interest in educating students about the Ten Commandments that would be less burdensome on the First Amendment than that required by “law”.

The ruling was met with immediate praise from those who challenged it as an unconstitutional overreach of religious instruction in public schools.

“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,” said Heather L. Weaver, senior staff attorney for the ACLU’s Religious Freedom Program and of faith. a tuesday statement. “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 welcome.”