Louisiana has made history by becoming the first state to pass a law mandating that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom. Republican Governor Jeff Landry signed the bill into law on Wednesday, which requires a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in all public classrooms, from kindergarten to state-funded universities.
While the bill did not receive final approval from Governor Landry, the deadline for him to take action has passed. Opponents of the law question its constitutionality and warn that lawsuits are likely to follow. They argue that the law violates the separation of church and state and is unconstitutional.
Proponents of the law argue that the Ten Commandments have historical significance and are described as “foundational documents of our state and national government” in the legislation. The law also allows for the display of other historical documents in public schools, such as the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, and the Northwest Ordinance.
The law requires that the displays be in place by the start of 2025 and will be funded through donations, not state funds. State Representative Dodie Horton, the author of the bill, defended it by saying that the display of the Ten Commandments is important for instilling moral values in students.
Similar bills requiring the display of the Ten Commandments have been proposed in other states, but Louisiana is the first to successfully pass such a law. Legal battles over the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms are not new, with past Supreme Court rulings finding such laws to be unconstitutional.
The passage of this controversial law comes at a time of conservative leadership in Louisiana, with Republicans holding a supermajority in the Legislature and all statewide elected positions. The law reflects a conservative agenda pushed through during the recent legislative session.
