A high-profile legal battle has emerged in Louisiana over a controversial new law mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. Christopher Dier, a distinguished educator, filed a complaint on September 23, 2024, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against Jeffrey Martin Landry, the Governor of Louisiana, and other state officials. The lawsuit challenges House Bill No. 71 (H.B. 71), which requires teachers to post a Protestant version of the Ten Commandments in every classroom.
The case centers around H.B. 71, signed into law by Governor Jeff Landry on June 19, 2024. The law mandates that by January 1, 2025, each public school must display the Ten Commandments prominently in all classrooms. Plaintiff Christopher Dier argues that this requirement violates the Establishment Clause, Free Exercise Clause, and Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. "By requiring Louisiana teachers to post the Ten Commandments in their classrooms," Dier asserts, "H.B. 71 coerces them into state-mandated religious observance." Dier's complaint highlights his personal accolades as an educator and his commitment to teaching constitutional principles such as freedom of worship.
Dier's lawsuit seeks declaratory and injunctive relief to prevent enforcement of H.B. 71. He contends that the law imposes a specific religious doctrine on educators and students alike, infringing upon their rights to religious freedom and expression. The complaint also underscores how H.B. 71 endorses a particular Protestant version of the Ten Commandments over others practiced by different faiths or secular beliefs—a point emphasized by Representative Dodie Horton during legislative discussions about fostering Christian values in schools.
In addition to challenging H.B. 71 on constitutional grounds, Dier's legal team argues that it causes irreparable harm not only to him but also to students and families across Louisiana who may hold diverse religious beliefs or none at all. They claim that enforcing this law would interfere with parents' rights to guide their children's spiritual upbringing while subjecting teachers like Dier to adverse professional consequences should they refuse compliance.
Represented by attorneys from Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP along with local counsel Alex B. Rothenberg from Gordon Arata Montgomery Barnett McCollam Duplantis & Eagan LLC., Dier aims for a court ruling declaring H.B. 71 unconstitutional under federal law provisions safeguarding religious liberty and free speech rights nationwide.
The Case ID is: 2:24-cv-02306.