Education · Religious liberty · Public records

Louisiana Ten Commandments School Law: Requirements & Current Status

Louisiana’s statute combines a mandatory classroom display with local design discretion. Roake removed a preliminary injunction because the challenge depended on undeveloped display context. It did not hold every possible implementation constitutional.

By WorthFighting Research · Published and verified October 9, 2026 · Selected records, not a nationwide compliance census

National tracker State database Court database 2026 report

Current status

Implementation: Required and in effect
Court status: Certiorari petition pending
Order scope: Roake preliminary injunction vacated as premature. That ruling does not adjudicate every actual display or insulate future as-applied challenges.
Last verified: 2026-10-09

Louisiana R.S. 17:2124 — Act 676 · Roake — Fifth Circuit en banc opinion · Supreme Court docket 25-1360 · Brumley v. Roake — conditional petition and appendix · Supreme Court docket 26-256 · Dier — court orders and complaint appendix · Louisiana AG — HB 71 guidance and display models · Louisiana AG — notice after Roake decision · Livingston Parish School Board — March 19 minutes

Exact law and implementation rules

Read the enacted statutory text: HB 71 / Act 676 / R.S. 17:2124

Law / bill: HB 71 / Act 676 / R.S. 17:2124
Law status: Enacted
Enacted: 2024-06-19
Effective: 2024-06-19
Display deadline / start: 2025-01-01 statutory display deadline
Schools: Public schools and public postsecondary institutions
Grades: K–12 and postsecondary
Classrooms / common areas: Each classroom; local governing authority determines nature of K–12 display
Display rule: Required
Size and text: At least 11 × 14 inches; prescribed text is central focus in large, easily readable font
Historical context: K–12 displays include statutory history statement; additional listed historical documents permitted. Postsecondary subsection separately specifies text/size.
Donation condition: K–12 authority shall accept donated funds or donated displays to fund them free of charge
Public funding: Law does not require school authorities or postsecondary institutions to spend their own funds; donated funds/displays are specified
Defense / indemnity: No special defense/indemnity provision identified in the cited display section
State guidance: AG guidance letter, four sample designs and draft resolution; BESE/department duties in statute
Implementation: Required and in effect
Court status: Certiorari petition pending
Injunction scope: Roake preliminary injunction vacated as premature. That ruling does not adjudicate every actual display or insulate future as-applied challenges.
Federal circuit: Fifth
Latest filing / verified event: 2026-09-18 — response extensions in 25-1360 and 26-256
Supreme Court: Brumley v. Roake 25-1360 conditional petition pending (response October 19); Dier 26-256 pending (response October 28)
Last verified: 2026-10-09

Operative statutory excerpt

The nature of the display shall be determined by each governing authority

Excerpt; the linked complete law controls exceptions and related provisions.

Implementation and court timeline

2024-06-19Act 676 effective.
2025-01-01Original statutory deadline.
2026-02-20Roake en banc opinion vacated the preliminary injunction on ripeness grounds.
2026-03-19Livingston Parish board adopted its implementation resolution.
2026-05-21State defendants filed conditional petition in Brumley v. Roake.
2026-08-25Dier petition filed.
2026-10-19Next known response deadline in 25-1360.

Local implementation records

District	Documented status	Evidence / publication decision
Livingston Parish School Board	Implementing	At its March 19, 2026 special meeting, the board adopted a resolution directing classroom displays, assigning implementation to the superintendent and keeping the project voluntary in funding. Published minutes record seven yes votes. Livingston Parish School Board — March 19 minutes · Louisiana R.S. 17:2124 — Act 676 · Roake — Fifth Circuit en banc opinion · Supreme Court docket 25-1360 · Louisiana AG — HB 71 guidance and display models
East Baton Rouge Parish School Board	Implementation not located	Roake board party; held pending current approved design, donations and classroom inventory. Roake — Fifth Circuit en banc opinion · Brumley v. Roake — conditional petition and appendix
St. Tammany Parish School Board	Implementation not located	Roake board party; no independently verified implementation vote/design in this audit. Roake — Fifth Circuit en banc opinion · Brumley v. Roake — conditional petition and appendix
Vernon Parish School Board	Implementation not located	Roake board party; case sources available, district-specific implementation depth insufficient. Roake — Fifth Circuit en banc opinion · Brumley v. Roake — conditional petition and appendix

Related litigation

Roake v. Brumley

Certiorari petition pending

Roake turns on ripeness. The en banc court vacated preliminary relief because the constitutional questions depended on actual display context. State defendants’ conditional Supreme Court petition is captioned Brumley v. Roake, reversing the lower-court name order.

Next: 2026-10-19 — response due

Docket, parties, relief and scope

Dockets: M.D. La. 3:24-cv-00517; Fifth Circuit 24-30706; Supreme Court 25-1360 (Brumley v. Roake)
Court: Fifth Circuit / U.S. Supreme Court
State / challenged law: Louisiana / Louisiana HB 71 / Act 676
Parties: Parents and children v. Louisiana education officials and parish boards; Supreme Court petition filed by state defendants and four boards
Claims: Facial Establishment Clause and Free Exercise challenge
Filed: Original filing date not independently established in this baseline
Current posture: February 20 en banc court vacated preliminary injunction as premature; constitutional merits not decided by that disposition
Preliminary relief: 2024 preliminary injunction vacated February 20, 2026
Permanent relief: No permanent injunction identified in reviewed record
Appeal: En banc ruling February 20, 2026
Supreme Court: Conditional petition filed May 21, 2026 by Brumley and others; no grant recorded
Latest filing / event: 2026-09-18 — order extending time to respond
Next known deadline: 2026-10-19 — response due
Legal / geographic scope: Appeal involved state education officials and East Baton Rouge, Livingston, Vernon and St. Tammany boards. The vacatur does not preapprove a particular district display or bar a developed as-applied claim.
Last verified: 2026-10-09

Louisiana state tracker

Roake — Fifth Circuit en banc opinion · Brumley v. Roake — conditional petition and appendix · Supreme Court docket 25-1360 · Louisiana R.S. 17:2124 — Act 676 · Louisiana AG — HB 71 guidance and display models

Dier v. Landry

Certiorari petition pending

Dier adds a teacher’s speech and religion claims to the Louisiana record. The Supreme Court docket verifies a pending petition. Kept in the database rather than publishing an overlapping, short standalone case page.

Next: 2026-10-28 — response due

Docket, parties, relief and scope

Dockets: E.D. La. 2:24-cv-02306; Fifth Circuit 26-30243; Supreme Court 26-256
Court: Fifth Circuit / U.S. Supreme Court
State / challenged law: Louisiana / Louisiana HB 71
Parties: Teacher Christopher Dier v. governor and Louisiana education/AG officials
Claims: Establishment Clause, Free Exercise Clause and Free Speech
Filed: 2024-09-23
Current posture: April 22 dismissal; July 10 summary affirmance; certiorari requested
Preliminary relief: Request denied as moot with dismissal April 22, 2026
Permanent relief: No permanent injunction identified in reviewed record
Appeal: Summary affirmance July 10, 2026
Supreme Court: Petition filed August 25; docketed August 27; pending
Latest filing / event: 2026-09-18 — response extension order
Next known deadline: 2026-10-28 — response due
Legal / geographic scope: Separate teacher challenge; do not merge docket or deadline with Brumley v. Roake
Last verified: 2026-10-09

Louisiana state tracker

Supreme Court docket 26-256 · Dier — court orders and complaint appendix

Questions parents and residents ask

Is Louisiana’s requirement currently blocked by Roake?

The February 20 en banc opinion vacated that preliminary injunction. Its reason was ripeness, not a decision approving every classroom design.

Can a board add historical context?

Yes. The law specifies a context statement for K–12 displays, leaves the nature of the display to the authority, and permits listed additional historical documents.

Does the law cover colleges?

Yes. Subsection C separately covers each classroom in public postsecondary institutions. Its text should be read separately from K–12 context provisions.

Do donated posters establish completion?

No. Acceptance, distribution and actual classroom placement are separate facts. Livingston’s resolution directs implementation; it is not a classroom inventory.

Official documents and provenance

Louisiana R.S. 17:2124 — Act 6762024-06-19 · Checked 2026-10-09. Current statute: effective June 19, 2024; K–12 and postsecondary requirements differ.
Roake — Fifth Circuit en banc opinion2026-02-20 · Checked 2026-10-09. Court-authored opinion hosted by Louisiana AG; ripeness holding, not a merits endorsement.
Supreme Court docket 25-13602026-09-18 · Checked 2026-10-09. Conditional petition pending; September 18 extension sets response due October 19.
Brumley v. Roake — conditional petition and appendix2026-05-21 · Checked 2026-10-09. State officials and boards petition; includes questions on justiciability and facial validity.
Supreme Court docket 26-2562026-09-18 · Checked 2026-10-09. Petition August 25; September 18 extension sets response due October 28.
Dier — court orders and complaint appendix2026-08-25 · Checked 2026-10-09. Contains April 22 dismissal, July 10 summary affirmance and September 23, 2024 complaint.
Louisiana AG — HB 71 guidance and display modelsUndated live record · Checked 2026-10-09. Linked from official AG Article 431; four model designs, guidance letter and draft board resolution. AG legal position, not a judicial approval.
Louisiana AG — notice after Roake decision2026-02-20 · Checked 2026-10-09. Implementation position following vacatur; links opinion and prior guidance.
Livingston Parish School Board — March 19 minutes2026-03-19 · Checked 2026-10-09. Board-authored minutes in April 16 legal-notice publication; page 1, item 8. Layout visually checked.

How this state record was verified

This is an eight-state public-record audit dated October 9, 2026, not a 50-state census or a nationwide compliance survey. State coverage comprises Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Tennessee, North Dakota, South Dakota and Ohio. District opportunities are a selected set in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas; Alabama district preparation sources were sought but not located at publishable depth.

Source order: enacted statute and current legislative history; operative court opinion/order and official docket; agency guidance; board minutes and district notices; party filings for allegations. News and advocacy were used to locate documents. Court-authored material hosted by counsel and board-authored legal notices are labeled by provenance. A party filing does not establish its factual allegations.

Every record keeps the law, local implementation and legal posture separate. A record’s verification date is when we checked its cited sources, not a new event date. “Not located” never means no guidance, no complaint, noncompliance or a closed case. Statutory deadlines remain distinct from donation receipt, board authorization and installed displays.

The court audit uses public opinions, Supreme Court dockets and the Eighth Circuit argument/opinion index; it is not a complete paid-docket review. Roth’s later operative order, fresh Galveston orders, Alabama’s approved template and current room inventories remain verification gaps. Future deadlines are labeled and no automatic update is implied.

Update log

October 9, 2026: Initial source-checked publication. Enacted text, timing, funding and litigation fields separated.

This is a dated research snapshot. Future updates require a new source check; no automatic monitoring is claimed.