1. What does Louisiana's 10 Commandments law require public schools to do?

2. By what date does the law take effect?

3. a) Who is challenging the legislation?
b) For what reasons are they challenging the new law?

4. How are proponents of the law defending it?

5. What are the 10 Commandments (where did they come from)?

6. a) Jews and Christians regard the Ten Commandments as having been given by God to Moses, according to biblical accounts, on Mount Sinai. The 10 Commandments can be found in the Old Testament books of the bible: Exodus 20:3-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21 (and in a shortened version in Exodus 34:14-28) Read the 10 Commandments under "Background" below. Do you think they should be posted in school classrooms? Explain your answer.
b) Ask a parent AND a grandparent the same question.

CHALLENGE: Did you know?

In the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, it was common practice for public schools to open with an oral prayer or Bible reading.

In 1955, the New York Board of Regents developed a prayer recommended (but not required) for school districts under its purview. The prayer was relatively short: "Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence on Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers, and our country."

In two landmark decisions, Engel v. Vitale (1962) and Abington School District v. Schempp (1963), which focused primarily on school-sponsored Bible reading, the Supreme Court established what is now the current prohibition on state-sponsored prayer in US schools.

While the Engel decision held that the promulgation of an official state-school prayer stood in violation of the First Amendment's Establishment Clause (thus overruling the New York courts' decisions), Abington held that Bible readings and other public school-sponsored religious activities were prohibited. Madalyn Murray's lawsuit, Murray v. Curlett, contributed to the removal of compulsory Bible reading from the public schools of the United States. (from wikipedia)

In 1980, the Supreme Court ruled against Kentucky's law requiring the posting of the Ten Commandments in public schools. The court ruled 5-4 that the law violated the First Amendment's Establishment Clause.

Whatever the outcome of this case, it is expected that whoever loses will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Justices are sometimes referred to as liberal or conservative. More accurately, there are: constitutionalist (originalist) judges - they are judges who interpret the law as written; they determine what the original intent was when the founders wrote the Constitution. Republicans generally appoint activist judges. And then there are activist judges. Black’s Law Dictionary defines judicial activism as a “philosophy of judicial decision-making whereby judges allow their personal views about public policy, among other factors, to guide their decisions.” Democrats generally appoint activist judges.

Follow the outcome of this case and read how the justices rule.