FRC's Tony Perkins to Attend Fifth Circuit Oral Arguments in Louisiana Ten Commandments Case

NEW ORLEANS, LA -- On Tuesday, January 20, Family Research Council (FRC) President Tony Perkins, a former member of the Louisiana Legislature, will attend an oral argument before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Roake v. Brumley. The en banc panel, sitting in New Orleans, will review a dispute about the constitutionality of Louisiana's statute requiring that the Ten Commandments be prominently posted in all Louisiana classrooms. A three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit ruled last year that the law was unconstitutional. It supported the decision of a district court that blocked the Louisiana law, prompting the state to appeal.

FRC submitted an amicus brief in the case in support of the appellants for en banc review. In the amicus brief, FRC argued "that prohibiting displays of the Ten Commandments denies the historical facts of our religious heritage as a nation." The amicus brief goes on to state: "Displaying the Ten Commandments in schools is constitutional because it does not coerce participation in a formal religious exercise. Under the original public meaning of the Establishment Clause, the relevant question in cases like this is whether the government has coerced individuals by force of law to participate in or otherwise support a formal religious exercise. A passive display of the Ten Commandments in a schoolroom is not a formal religious exercise. And the possibility that students might see the display and be bothered is not coercion by force of law. Neither element of the relevant establishment hallmark exists here, and Louisiana's law is therefore easily constitutional."

WHO: Family Research Council President Tony Perkins

WHAT: Perkins' media availability after Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals En Banc hearing of Roake v. Brumley

WHEN: Following the oral arguments in Roake v. Brumley [oral arguments start at 1:00 PM Central]

WHERE: In-Person: John Minor Wisdom United States Court of Appeals Building, 600 Camp Street, New Orleans, LA 70130

To request an interview with Perkins after the hearing, please email: [email protected]

-30-