Supreme Court Receives New Petitions Regarding Ten Commandments Displays in Classrooms

Why it matters locally: The Supreme Court has scheduled two executions in Florida between now and the end of the year, which may lead to emergency appeals reaching the high court.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court has received two petitions requesting intervention on state laws requiring displays of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. A Louisiana teacher filed a petition last week, following a similar request from Texas families concerning their state's law. Chris Dier, a Louisiana teacher, submitted a petition for review on Tuesday. He asks the justices to examine a state law in Louisiana that mandates the posting of the Ten Commandments in K-12 and college classrooms, according to the *Louisiana Illuminator*. Dier stated that he believes the Constitution protects individuals of all faiths and no faith. He acknowledged the role of religion in Americans' lives but asserted that the state cannot use his classroom to convey a religious message or position him as the messenger for that message. This filing follows a request last week from Texas families. Those families asked the Supreme Court to consider the constitutionality of a 2025 Texas law. That law requires every classroom in Texas to display a copy of the Ten Commandments. In other Supreme Court-related developments: * Chief Justice John Roberts issued an administrative stay on Friday, temporarily permitting construction to continue on a new White House ballroom. The court could release a decision in the interim docket case at any time. * A Supreme Court order from Monday, which allowed former President Trump to continue pursuing proposed restrictions on voting by mail, spanned 10 pages. *The New York Times* reported this length marked a change from earlier emergency requests during the initial months of the former president's second term, which often had limited explanation. * A panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit sent the Georgia redistricting dispute back to a lower court on Tuesday. *Courthouse News Service* indicated this review will consider a recent Supreme Court ruling that limited the Voting Rights Act. The Supreme Court's 6-3 decision in *Louisiana v. Callais* restricted how redistricting maps can address racial discrimination, finding Louisiana's second majority-Black congressional district unconstitutional. * Joshua M. Culver was arrested Friday on federal charges. *Bloomberg Law* reported Culver is accused of impersonating Chief Justice John Roberts to attempt dismissal of an Indiana criminal case. He allegedly forged Roberts' signature on a letter to a Grant County court. Culver also faces accusations of impersonating a National Security Agency employee. * U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer rejected Ghislaine Maxwell’s attempt to overturn her 2021 sex-trafficking conviction and 20-year prison sentence on Tuesday. *CBS News* reported the judge described Maxwell's claims as without merit and frivolous. The Supreme Court denied Maxwell's earlier appeal last fall, upholding her conviction and sentence. * The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Monday to review a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. This ruling prevents the federal government from removing immigrants who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border without allowing them to seek asylum. U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued the decision could dismantle an "indispensable" tool for border control. * Legal scholar Erwin Chemerinsky, in his Courtly Observations column, discussed *Cisco Systems, Inc. v. Doe I*. The Supreme Court in that case limited the ability of foreigners to file lawsuits under the Alien Tort Statute for international law violations. * Josh Blackman suggested Supreme Court justices should regularly preside over en banc oral arguments in circuit courts and participate in district court proceedings. He proposed this would enhance their understanding of litigation. * The podcast "Advisory Opinions" featured former D.C. Circuit judges Tom Griffith and David Tatel. They discussed judicial independence and relationships. * The Supreme Court currently has 10 executions scheduled between now and the end of the year, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. These include five in Texas, two each in Florida and Tennessee, and one in Alabama. Emergency appeals related to these executions often reach the Supreme Court.