The law, which applies to all public K-12 school and state-funded university classrooms, took effect Jan. 1. Days after the mandate went into effect, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill — the state’s top lawyer — made clear that she expects school districts to comply.

Should the Ten Commandments be displayed in Louisiana classrooms? The Fifth Circuit is hearing the case, with arguments on both constitutional and historical grounds. Here’s what we know.

Just because the biblical text is important "doesn't mean it has to be put in every classroom," a judge said during a hearing in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

A law requiring the religious text to be displayed in all public classrooms was struck down by a lower court judge in November.

Opponents of Louisiana’s law requiring that all public school classrooms display the Ten Commandments “jumped the gun here and filed an unripe case” an attorney for the state told the Fifth Circuit during oral arguments Thursday.

At least one New Orleans area school district is in the process of hanging the Ten Commandments in classrooms despite ongoing litigation.

Why it matters: A controversial new law requiring the display went into effect Jan. 1 for all Louisiana public school students, except those in Orleans, St. Tammany, Vernon, East Baton Rouge and Livingston parishes. The latest: Attorney General Liz Murrill issued guidance this week on how schools can comply with the new law.