NEW ORLEANS (AP) – A federal appeals court in New Orleans on Friday temporarily limited the scope of a ruling that Louisiana law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments in all classrooms next year is unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge John deGravelles’ ruling that the law is unconstitutional remains in effect under the order of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. However, the appeals court temporarily blocked part of the ruling that requires state education officials to notify public schools across the state that the law has been struck down.

State attorneys said in an emergency stay motion filed Wednesday that deGravelles’ finding that the warrant display requirement is unconstitutional affects only five local school systems that are defendants in the case. They said deGravelles overstepped his authority when he ordered that schools in all 72 districts be notified of his discovery. They asked that the notice requirement be discontinued immediately while they all challenge deGravelles’ order. The larger appeal was filed on Friday evening.

Friday’s 5th Circuit order was a temporary “administrative stay” granted in response to the state’s emergency request. The order may be modified or lifted as the appeal progresses. Justices Jerry Smith, nominated to the court by former President Ronald Reagan, and Kurt Engelhardt, nominated by former President Donald Trump, voted to grant the stay in a one-sentence order. A footnote said Judge James Graves, nominated by former President Barack Obama, would have denied the stay.

Attorney General Liz Murrill celebrated the ruling in a social media post Friday night.

“I look forward to working immediately with all of our school boards not involved in this process to implement the law soon,” she wrote.

The law specifies that a version of the Ten Commandments must be posted in all Louisiana K-12 public classrooms and public universities by January 1. It was passed by the Republican-dominated Legislature this year and signed by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry in June.

DeGravelles ruled Tuesday that the law is “obviously religious” and “unconstitutional on its face.” He said state Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley and the state board of education — who are defendants in the lawsuit — cannot take action to enforce the law. And he told them to notify all school boards that it was deemed unconstitutional.

Murrill, a Republican ally of Landry, said the state disagrees with the entire ruling. However, she said the notification requirement created an immediate problem because it would confuse school systems where, the state contends, the law remains in effect.

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