Judge hears arguments to block Louisiana's Ten Commandments displays in schools
BATON ROUGE, La. — A federal judge heard arguments at a hearing Monday on whether he should temporarily block a new Louisiana law that requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom by Jan. 1.
BATON ROUGE, La. — A federal judge heard arguments at a hearing Monday on whether he should temporarily block a new Louisiana law that requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom by Jan. 1.
Louisiana, a reliably Republican state in the Bible Belt, is the only state with such a requirement. Proponents argue that the measure is not solely religious, but has historical significance to the foundation of U.S. law. But an expert witness brought in by the plaintiffs, argued against the legislation.
Steven Green, a legal historian and professor of law, history and religious studies at Willamette University in Oregon, testified that “there is next to no evidence” that the Ten Commandments were considered by the country’s founders while drafting the foundation of the U.S. government and legal system.
He added that the Ten Commandments were “indirectly influential at best” to the nation’s founders. Green said he based his conclusion on numerous historical documents and writings, including correspondence between Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, who were influential in drafting the U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights.
Attorneys for the defendants asked the judge to strike Green’s testimony. Speaking with reporters after the hearing, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said Green’s testimony was “not proper for expert testimony” and “subjective” as he “was not alive at the time that these things happened.”
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