Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) signed a new law on Wednesday requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in every public classroom. Supporters argue that the law reinforces moral values and the state's cultural heritage.
The law is all but guaranteed to face legal challenges from the American Civil Liberties Union and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, who argue that it violates the separation of church and state.
Louisiana schools are now tasked with implementing the new requirement before the start of the next academic year.
The New York Times continues:
The legislation is part of a broader campaign by conservative Christian groups to amplify public expressions of faith, and provoke lawsuits that could reach the Supreme Court, where they expect a friendlier reception than in years past. That presumption is rooted in recent rulings, particularly one in 2022 in which the court sided with a high school football coach who argued that he had a constitutional right to pray at the 50-yard line after his team's games.
“The climate is certainly better,” said Charles C. Haynes, a senior fellow at the Freedom Forum and a scholar with an expertise in religious liberty and civil discourse.
Still, Mr. Haynes said that he found the enthusiasm behind the Louisiana legislation and other efforts unwarranted. “I think they are overreaching,” he said, adding that “even this court will have a hard time justifying” what lawmakers have conceived.
The measure in Louisiana requires that the commandments be displayed in each classroom of every public elementary, middle and high school, as well as public college classrooms. The posters must be no smaller than 11 by 14 inches and the commandments must be “the central focus of the poster” and “in a large, easily readable font.”
The posters must also include a statement asserting that the Ten Commandments were “prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries.”
“The Ten Commandments is there, time and time again, as the basis and foundation for the system that America was built upon,” said Matt Krause, a prominent supporter and lawyer for the First Liberty Institute.
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