Louisiana’s 10 Commandments Law Marks a Critical Step Toward Christian Nationalism
#Ten Commandments#Christian Nationalism#Louisiana#Fifth Circuit Court#Separation of Church and State#Public Education#Religious Freedom#Supreme Court
📌 Key Takeaways
Louisiana's Ten Commandments law was upheld by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on February 20, 2026
The law requires display of the Ten Commandments in all public school classrooms from kindergarten through college
Experts view this as a significant victory for the Christian nationalist movement
Similar laws in Texas and Arkansas face legal challenges, with Louisiana's case potentially reaching the Supreme Court
Christian nationalists believe this will help solve societal problems and align the country with their religious vision
📖 Full Retelling
Louisiana's Republican Governor Jeff Landry celebrated a major victory for the Christian nationalist movement on February 20, 2026, when the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court decision and allowed a 2024 state law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in all public school classrooms to proceed. The conservative appellate court overturned a June 2024 ruling that had deemed the mandate "plainly unconstitutional," marking a significant step in the Christian right's efforts to reshape American education according to their belief that the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation and should remain so. The decision affects students from kindergarten through college in all subjects, including math, science, and even physical education.
The Fifth Circuit's ruling represents a substantial win for Christian nationalists who have been emboldened by the current Supreme Court and the Trump administration. Attorney General Liz Murrill has already provided examples of compliant posters that incorporate elements like references to "Mean Girls" character Regina George and Hamilton playwright Lin-Manuel alongside the biblical text, though critics have noted some examples contain misleading information. Sophie Bjork-James, an anthropologist specializing in the religious right, explains that the Ten Commandments display is not merely a symbolic victory but an intentional effort to "educate children on Christianity" and shift the country to the right.
Experts warn that this development could have far-reaching implications for the separation of church and state in America. Melissa Deckman, CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute, points out that while only about one-third of Americans hold Christian nationalist views, a majority of Republicans (56 percent) ascribe to this ideology, which has become "very embedded within the MAGA movement." The movement gained significant momentum with the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, which Christian nationalists viewed as a major victory, freeing up political capital to pursue other policy goals. The Louisiana law, similar to measures in Texas and Arkansas currently facing legal challenges, is likely to eventually reach the Supreme Court for review, potentially reshaping the constitutional landscape regarding religion in public schools.
🏷️ Themes
Church and State Separation, Christian Nationalism, Education Policy, Religious Freedom
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (in case citations, 5th Cir.) is one of the 13 United States courts of appeals. It has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts:
Eastern District of Louisiana
Middle District of Louisian...
Christian nationalism is a form of religious nationalism that focuses on promoting the Christian views of its followers in order to achieve prominence or dominance in political, cultural, and social life. In countries with a state church, Christian nationalists seek to preserve the status of a Chris...
Principle to separate religious and civil institutions
The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state. Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular state (with or without legally explicit church-state separat...
Biblical principles relating to ethics and worship
The Ten Commandments (Biblical Hebrew: עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת, romanized: ʿĂśéreṯ had-Dibbərôṯ, lit. 'The Ten Words'), or the Decalogue (from Latin decalogus, from Ancient Greek δεκάλογος, dekálogos, lit. 'ten words'), are religious and ethical directives, structured as a covenant document, that, a...
Louisiana (French: Louisiane; Spanish: Luisiana [lwiˈsjana]; Louisiana Creole: Lwizyàn) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is bordered by Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area a...
Church and State Louisiana’s 10 Commandments Law Marks a Critical Step Toward Christian Nationalism Experts on the Christian right talk about the rise of the movement in the U.S., and how a state law could further erode the separation of church and state By Lorena O’Neil Lorena O’Neil View all posts by Lorena O’Neil March 1, 2026 Pretty soon, public school students in Louisiana , from kindergarten up through college, will see the Ten Commandments displayed in every classroom — math, science, even gym. That’s because of a new ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, one of the most conservative appeals courts in the country. On Feb. 20, the federal appellate court reversed a June decision that had called the 2024 Louisiana law requiring displays of the religious texts in all public school classrooms “plainly unconstitutional” and allowed for a temporary block on the law. (The case had previously been heard by a three judge-panel on the Fifth Circuit but that was vacated after all 17 judges heard the case in January.) The move marks a win for the Christian nationalist movement, a worldview that the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation and should remain so, and that the government should enforce it. The ideology is not new, but experts tracking the movement say it is gaining steam across the country, emboldened by the current Supreme Court and the Trump administration. And if this Louisiana Ten Commandments case continues to make its way up to the highest court in the land, it could have a devastating impact on the separation of church and state. Sophie Bjork-James is an anthropologist and an expert on the religious right and Christian nationalism . She says that the Ten Commandments going up in Louisiana schools is not only a win that shows how much power Christian nationalists are acquiring, it is also a step towards further shifting the country to the right by educating children on Christianity. “Within Christian nationalism they would see [the recent ruling]...
