NATIONAL NEWS

Opponents of Louisiana’s Ten Commandments law want judge to block it before new school year starts

Jul 8, 2024, 1:34 PM | Updated: 2:10 pm

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Opponents of a new Louisiana law requiring that a version of the Ten Commandments be posted in public school classrooms have asked a federal court to block implementation of the requirement while their lawsuit against it progresses and before the new school year starts.

A group of parents of Louisiana public school students, representing various faiths, filed the lawsuit last month, soon after Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed the new law. In motions filed Monday, their attorneys asked for a preliminary injunction blocking the law. And they sought an expedited briefing and hearing schedule that would require the state to respond to the request for an injunction by July 19 and for a hearing on July 29. Public schools open in August.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Baton Rouge, says the law violates First Amendment clauses protecting religious liberty and forbidding laws establishing a religion.

Backers of the law argue that it doesn’t violate the Constitution and that posting the Ten Commandments is appropriate and legal because they are part of the foundation of U.S. law.

National News

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump and his running mate Sen. JD Vance, R...

Associated Press

The Latest: Biden to deliver remarks following Trump’s win, House control hangs in the balance

President Joe Biden is scheduled to deliver remarks to the nation in what will be his first appearance on camera in the aftermath of Donald Trump ’s decisive victory over Kamala Harris. Control over the U.S. House of Representatives hangs in the balance, teetering between a Republican or Democratic majority with dozens of races left […]

1 hour ago

Associated Press

Wild winds fuel Southern California wildfire that has forced thousands to evacuate

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — A fast-moving wildfire fueled by heavy winds was tearing through a community northwest of Los Angeles for a second day Thursday after destroying dozens of homes and forcing thousands of residents to flee when it exploded in size in only a few hours. The Mountain Fire prompted evacuation orders Wednesday for […]

6 hours ago

FILE - Former Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani leaves the federal courthouse in Washington, Dec. 15,...

Associated Press

Giuliani to appear in a NYC court after missing a deadline to surrender assets

NEW YORK (AP) — Rudy Giuliani will appear in a New York City courtroom on Thursday to explain to a federal judge why he hasn’t surrendered his valuables as part of a $148 million defamation judgment. U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman ordered the former New York City mayor to report to court after lawyers for […]

9 hours ago

FILE - Vice President Kamala Harris listens as President Joe Biden speaks about distribution of COV...

Associated Press

Joe Biden gets blamed by Harris allies for the vice president’s resounding loss

WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden’s name wasn’t on the ballot, but history will likely remember Kamala Harris’ resounding defeat as his loss too. As Democrats pick up the pieces following President-elect Donald Trump’s decisive victory, some of the vice president’s backers are expressing frustration that Biden’s decision to seek reelection until this summer — despite […]

9 hours ago

FILE - A volunteer pours water to cool a man off during a hot day in Karachi, Pakistan, May 21, 202...

Associated Press

European climate agency says this will likely be the hottest year on record — again

CHICAGO (AP) — For the second year in a row, Earth will almost certainly be the hottest it’s ever been. And for the first time, the globe this year reached more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming compared to the pre-industrial average, the European climate agency Copernicus said Thursday. “It’s this relentless […]

11 hours ago

FILE - The New Yorker Hotel sign glows at dusk, Wednesday, April 17, 2013 in New York. (AP Photo/Ma...

Associated Press

Man who used legal loophole to live rent-free for years in NYC hotel found unfit to stand trial

NEW YORK (AP) — A man charged with fraud for claiming to own a storied Manhattan hotel where he had been living rent-free for years has been found unfit to stand trial, prosecutors said Wednesday. Doctors examining Mickey Barreto deemed he’s not mentally competent to face criminal charges, and prosecutors confirmed the results during a […]

11 hours ago

Opponents of Louisiana’s Ten Commandments law want judge to block it before new school year starts