Attorney General Liz Murrill has filed a brief defending the constitutionality of H.B. 71, Louisiana’s law mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools.
"The Supreme Court has recognized the historical significance of the Ten Commandments as one of the foundations of our legal system," stated Murrill. "Our Ten Commandments brief argues that a lawsuit filed by the ACLU is foreclosed on procedural grounds by binding Fifth Circuit and Supreme Court precedent. Our brief also argues that the ACLU’s lawsuit must be dismissed on the merits because they cannot carry their burden under Fifth Circuit and Supreme Court precedent to show that every H.B. 71 display would be unconstitutional."
Murrill emphasized various ways schools could constitutionally implement H.B. 71, asserting, "Our brief illustrates just a few of the countless ways in which schools may constitutionally implement H.B. 71. Because the ACLU cannot carry their burden to show that the Ten Commandments law is unconstitutional in all its applications, this lawsuit must be dismissed. I am proud to defend the law, and I very much look forward to seeing the ACLU in court."
The brief includes several examples deemed constitutional:
- A poster citing late Justice Ginsburg’s emphasis on foundational documents in world history, including the Ten Commandments.
- A poster describing lawgivers reflected in the House of Representatives’ chamber with Moses placed directly in front of Speaker Mike Johnson.
- An H.B. 71 poster describing Martin Luther King Jr.’s Ten Commandments of Non-Violence alongside Moses’s own Ten Commandments.
- A movie- and theater-themed H.B. 71 poster featuring Charlton Heston as Moses and Lin-Manuel Miranda as Hamilton.
For more information or to read Attorney General Murrill's full brief, click here.