CIVIL rights groups in the United States have filed a lawsuit to block Louisiana’s “unconstitutional” new law that requires the 10 Commandments to be displayed in the classrooms of every government-run school.

Pupils’ parents with various religious backgrounds are plaintiffs in the case, represented by the groups’ attorneys.

Under the legislation, school classrooms and state-funded universities must display a poster-sized version of the 10 Commandments in a “large, easily readable font.”

Opponents argue that the law violates the separation of church and state and that the display will isolate students of other faiths.

Jewish plaintiff Joshua Herlands has two young children in New Orleans schools. He said that the displays could send a message to his offspring and others that “they may be lesser in the eyes of the government.”

“The state’s main interest in passing [the law] was to impose religious beliefs on public-school children, regardless of the harm to students and families,” the lawsuit says.

Other states, including Texas, Oklahoma and Utah, have attempted to impose such requirements, but with legal battles threatened, only Louisiana has succeeded in doing so.