Christopher Dier v. Jeff Landry, Governor of Louisiana, et al.

Louisiana law requires every public school in the state to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom. La. R.S. § 17:2124(B)(1)-(3). The law mandates a specific version of the Biblical text that includes the statements “I AM the Lord thy God,” “Thou shalt have no other gods before me,” “Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain,” and “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” According to the Book of Exodus these and the other Commandments are the literal words of God; “written with the finger of God.” In addition to prescribing the specific Biblical text, Louisiana’s law mandates that God’s words appear on a poster or framed document at least eleven inches by fourteen inches and mandates that they be the central focus of the display in a large, easily readable font. The law also pairs God’s words with a state-written statement titled “The History of the Ten Commandments in American Public Education.” Petitioner Christopher Dier, Louisiana’s 2020 Teacher of the Year, teaches all of his classes in a single public-school classroom. He strongly objects to the message these state-mandated displays convey—that the State officially endorses a particular religion’s authority and moral teachings—and has sworn that he cannot comply with the law, even at the risk of losing his job. Applying recent, binding en banc circuit precedent, the courts below held his challenge unripe and meritless. The questions presented are:

1. Whether petitioner’s Establishment Clause challenge to Louisiana’s law is ripe.

2. Whether Louisiana’s law violates the Establishment Clause.