Federal judge blocks Louisiana Ten Commandments law

A Louisiana law that mandated every public school classroom in the state display a poster of the Ten Commandments has been halted by a federal judge following legal challenges.

A group of parents trying to block the state law from going into effect by next year won their case, US district judge John deGravelles ruled Tuesday.

The ruling means Louisiana cannot begin promoting or creating rules surrounding the law while the litigation continues.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said her team had shown in multiple ways that "the law is constitutional", adding that she would "immediately appeal".

In his ruling, Mr deGravelles said the law had an "overtly religious" purpose.

The law, which is the first of its kind, would have governed all classrooms up to and including university.

It was proposed by Republicans in the Louisiana congress and then signed into law by Governor Jeff Landry in June.

“If you want to respect the rule of law,” Landry said when signing the bill, “you’ve got to start from the original lawgiver, which was Moses.”

The law describes the Ten Commandments as "foundational" to state and national governance, but some have argued that it breaks America's separation of Church and state.

The law required the Ten Commandants be printed in "large, easily readable font" on a poster that is 11 inches by 14 inches (28cm by 35.5cm) and that the commandments be "the central focus" of the display.

"This ruling should serve as a reality check for Louisiana lawmakers who want to use public schools to convert children to their preferred brand of Christianity," Heather Weaver, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer who represented the plaintiffs, said in a statement.

"Public schools are not Sunday schools, and today's decision ensures that our clients' classrooms will remain spaces where all students, regardless of their faith, feel welcomed," she said.

While Louisiana has gotten the closest, other Republican-led states including Texas, Oklahoma and Utah have proposed similar laws in recent months.