A group of Louisiana families filed a motion for an injunction Monday to stop officials from implementing a law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom in the state. Louisiana is set to become the first state to impose such a requirement, though the action has been debated in other jurisdictions.

The law in question, House Bill No. 71, mandates that the full text of the Ten Commandments be prominently displayed with a “context statement” in each classroom. The context statement stresses that the Ten Commandments are a “prominent part of American public education.” Lawmakers claim that the context statement avoids an expressly religious interpretation of the document.

However, the plaintiffs argue that the law conflicts with the constitutional requirement of state neutrality towards religion. They filed a lawsuit on July 1 after the bill was signed into law on June 19. In their original complaint, the plaintiffs allege that “H.B. 71 is not neutral with respect to religion. By design, it expressly requires the display of religious scripture … and it requires a specific, state-approved version of that scripture to be posted.” Plaintiffs contend that not even all Christians view the particular version of the Ten Commandments to be authoritative, let alone those of other faiths. They argue that requiring this expression by schools violates the Exercise Clause of the First Amendment.

The injunction seeks to restrain the application of the law until there has been a full trial. To do so, plaintiffs must prove that implementation of the act would cause irreparable harm.