Louisiana has become the first state to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom.
The legislation that Republican Gov. Jeff Landry (that’s him in the light colored jacket) signed into law on Wednesday requires a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in “large, easily readable font” in all public classrooms, from kindergarten to state-funded universities.
“If you want to respect the rule of law, you’ve got to start from the original lawgiver, which was Moses” who got the commandments from God, Landry said.
Opponents questioned the law’s constitutionality and vowed to challenge it in court.
Proponents said the measure is not solely religious, but that it has historical significance.
In the language of the law, the Ten Commandments are “foundational documents of our state and national government.”
During his keynote speech Landry touted the bill as a conservative victory in the ongoing culture wars.
“I’m going home to sign a bill that places the Ten Commandments in public classrooms,” he said, “And I can’t wait to be sued.”
The American Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom from Religion Foundation announced today that they will file suit to challenge a new Louisiana law that requires all public elementary, secondary, and postsecondary schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom.
In response to the passage of this new law, the groups intending to challenge the law issued the following joint statement:
"We are preparing a lawsuit to challenge H.B. 71. The law violates the separation of church and state and is blatantly unconstitutional. The First Amendment promises that we all get to decide for ourselves what religious beliefs, if any, to hold and practice, without pressure from the government. Politicians have no business imposing their preferred religious doctrine on students and families in public schools.”
The displays mandated by this law will result in unconstitutional religious coercion of students, who are legally required to attend school and are thus a captive audience for school-sponsored religious messages.
They will also send a chilling message to students and families who do not follow the state’s preferred version of the Ten Commandments that they do not belong, and are not welcome, in our public schools.
