Louisiana has become the first state in the nation to require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms after Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed a GOP-backed bill into law on Wednesday. according to The Christian StandtSponsored by Republican Congresswoman Dodie Horton House Bill 71mandates that poster-sized copies of the Ten Commandments from the Old Testament be displayed in public school classrooms. Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy, Chapter 5 By January 2025.
“If we want to respect the rule of law, we have to start with the original law given by Moses,” Landry said at Wednesday’s signing ceremony.
According to the law, the exhibit must be “a poster or framed document measuring at least 11 inches by 14 inches,” while the text of the Ten Commandments must be the “central focus” of the poster or framed document and must be printed in a “large, easily readable font.”
Additionally, the exhibit must include a four-paragraph “contextual statement” informing readers that “the Ten Commandments have been an important part of American public education for nearly three centuries.”
“Around 1688, the New England Primer became America’s first published textbook and was the equivalent of first-grade reading material. Used in public schools across the country for over 150 years to teach Americans how to read, the New England Primer contained over 40 questions about the Ten Commandments,” the context reads.
“The Ten Commandments were also included in public school textbooks published by educator William McGuffey, a noted college president and professor. His famous ‘McGuffey Readers’ were written in the early 1800s and became one of the most popular textbooks in American educational history, selling over 100 million copies. ‘McGuffey Readers’ are still available today.”
The new law has already faced threats of lawsuits from secular groups who claim it violates the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
For example, the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana, Americans for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation have announced their intention to sue.
The groups argue that posting the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms amounts to “religious coercion against students who are legally required to attend school and therefore become captive audiences for school-sponsored religious messages.”
The groups argue the law violates a 1980 U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Stone v. Graham In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a similar law passed in Kentucky requiring copies of the Ten Commandments to be posted in classrooms, concluding that the law violated the First Amendment.
“This law violates the separation of church and state and is clearly unconstitutional,” the groups said in a joint statement. “The First Amendment promises us all the ability to determine for ourselves what religious beliefs, if any, we will hold and practice, without government pressure. Politicians do not have the right to impose their preferred religious doctrines on public school students and families.”
Instead, supporters of the law argue that its purpose is to emphasize the Ten Commandments as one of the “foundational documents of state and national government.”
The bill also allows schools to display other historical documents, such as the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence and the Northwest Ordinance.
“This is a religious document, but this document has been posted in over 180 locations, including the United States Supreme Court. You could say it’s the law this country was founded on,” said Republican state Sen. Adam Bass. Carb last month.
Matt Kraus, an attorney at First Liberty Institute, a law firm that specializes in religious liberty, said the new law takes into account “the history and tradition of the Ten Commandments in the state.”
“Having this historic document on the wall of our school is a great way to remind students of the foundations of American and Louisiana law,” said Kraus, who testified in support of a similar bill in Ohio. “First Liberty is grateful to have played a role in helping this bill reach the Governor’s desk, and we applaud Louisiana for being the first state to take this bold step for religious freedom, and certainly not the last.”
Photo credit: Getty Images/Marinella Malcheva
