N O L A.C O M
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S at u r d ay, J u n e 21, 2025
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Court rejects commandments law
AG vows to appeal 5th Circuit ruling against placement in schools BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer
Louisiana’s controversial law requiring public schools and colleges to post the Ten Commandments violates the U.S. Constitution and cannot be enforced, a federal appeals court ruled unanimously Friday, upholding a lower court’s decision and raising the possibility that the U.S. Supreme Court will be asked to weigh in. A three-judge panel on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the law, which took effect Jan.
1, is “plainly unconstitutional.” The ruling affirms a lower court’s order barring the state from enforcing the law, which says that Ten Commandments posters must be displayed in every classroom. Passed last year by Louisiana’s Republican-controlled Legislature, the law turbocharged the national debate over religion’s proper place in public life. Critics say the law shatters the historic divide in the U.S. between church and state and restricts religious freedom, while supporters — including President Donald Trump and Louisiana
Gov. Jeff Landry — say it reflects America’s Christian roots and represents a much-needed return to traditional values in public education. Just days after Landry signed the law last year, a multifaith group of public-school parents sued in federal court, saying the mandate violates students’ First Amendment right to practice their faith free of government interference. Attorneys for the state countered that the legal challenge was premature because schools had not yet put up the posters, and ar-
gued that the Ten Commandments have historical significance and educational value. In a 50-page decision, the 5th Circuit panel wrote that “unwanted exposure to government-sponsored religious displays” would violate students’ First Amendment rights. If the law goes into effect, “students will be subjected to unwelcome displays of the Ten Commandments for the entirety of their public school education,” the judges wrote. “There is no opt-out option.”
The decision was signed by Judge Irma Carrillo Ramirez, who was appointed by President Joe Biden; Judge James Dennis, appointed by President Bill Clinton; and Judge Catharina Haynes, appointed by President George W. Bush. In a statement, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said she and her team “strongly disagree” with the ruling and plan to appeal. “We will immediately seek relief from the full Fifth Circuit and, if necessary, the U.S. Supreme Court,” she said. Murrill argued that the ruling,
ä See COURT, page 4A
Amistad Center lays off workers
Major archive of Black history facing federal funding cuts BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer
STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER
Kathe Hambrick, left, executive director of the Amistad Research Center in New Orleans, and Jennifer Long, a digital archivist, look at rare photos from the 1970s of California farm workers protesting for better wages and working conditions. Many of the images feature activists such as Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta.
One of the nation’s oldest and most significant archives of Black history, the Amistad Research Center in New Orleans has collected and cared for millions of historical documents and artifacts over the past six “There’s projects we decades. Now that work is at were in the midst risk after federal fundof that we won’t ing cuts wiped out 40% be able to finish. of the organization’s $1.5 There’s projects we million budget, accordhave been promised ing to executive director Kathe Hambrick. Last money for that was week, the center was withdrawn that we forced to lay off about won’t be able to half of its 14 staff memstart.” bers. The cuts stem from the BRENDA FLORA, curator Trump administration’s of moving images and gutting of the Institute recorded sound for the of Museum and Library Amistad Research Center Sciences, a federal agency that awards grants to libraries and museums across the country. The agency did not say why Amistad’s grants were terminated, but the cuts are in line with President Donald Trump’s efforts to end programs that promote diversity or prioritize the experiences of minority groups. The loss will make the Amistad’s work less
COLLEGE WORLD SERIES FINALS GAME 1: LSU VS. COASTAL CAROLINA l 6 P.M. l ESPN
TIGER TAKEOVER LSU baseball fans once again descend on Omaha
OMAHA, Neb. — If anyone knows what to expect from LSU baseball fans pouring into town this weekend for the College World Series championship series, it’s LSU superfan Chris Guillot. His succinct appraisal at Thursday’s pep rally at the Tigers’ team hotel? Scott “The zoo starts tonight.” Rabalais You could say Guillot is the keeper of that zoo, the man who roams the stands whether at Alex Box Stadium or here in Omaha rallying the faithful with chants of “Go!” answered by “Tigers!”
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Cantrell lashes out at ‘insulting’ criticism BY JAMES FINN Staff writer
STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
LSU fans enjoy the patio at Rocco’s as Tigers faithful begin to fill up Omaha, Neb., for the College World Series on Friday.
ä See RABALAIS, page 4A ä More College World Series coverage in Sports. PAGE 1C
WEATHER HIGH 93 LOW 78
ä See AMISTAD, page 4A
Business ......................5B Deaths .........................3B Opinion ........................6B Classified .....................6A Metro ...........................1B Sports ..........................1C Comics-Puzzles .....1D-4D Nation-World................2A
Mayor LaToya Cantrell ripped her detractors during a meeting with other U.S. mayors, lashing out at a host of critics who have piled onto the New Orleans leader during her scandal-plagued second term. Cantrell criticized supporters of a 2022 recall campaign that sought to oust her from the Mayor’s Office amid deepening frustration over her handling of Hurricane Ida and a trash crisis in its aftermath. The recall campaign marked a turning
ä See CANTRELL, page 4A
12TH yEAR, NO. 313