Louisiana has become the first state in the United States to require that the Ten Commandments are displayed in all public school classroomsunder a law signed into law Wednesday by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry.
The law, drafted by Republican lawmakers, requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in all public school classrooms, from kindergarten to state-funded universities. in poster size and with “large, easily legible print.”
Those who oppose the law They question its constitutionality and warn that lawsuits are likely to be filed. Those who defend it affirm that the purpose of the measure is not only religious, but has a historical significance. In the text of the law, the Ten Commandments are described as “founding documents of our state and national government.”
The posters, which will be accompanied by a four-paragraph “context statement” describing how the Ten Commandments “They were a prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries,” They should be placed in classrooms by early 2025.
The posters would be paid for through donations. According to the text of the law, no state funds will be used to implement the mandate.
The law also “authorizes”—but does not require— the Mayflower Pact exhibitthe Declaration of Independence, and the Northwest Ordinance in elementary through high school public schools.
Shortly after the governor signed the law, civil rights groups and organizations that wantn keep religion out of the government They promised to file a lawsuit to challenge it.
The law prevents students from receiving an equal education and will prevent children with different beliefs feel safe at school, the American Civil Liberties Union said in a joint statement Wednesday afternoon. Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Freedom from Religion Foundation.
“Even among those who may believe in some version of the Ten Commandments, the particular text to which they adhere may differ depending on religious denomination or tradition. “The government should not take sides in this theological debate,” the groups stated.
An unopposed conservative agenda
The controversial law, in a state located in the Bible Beltarrives during a new era of conservative leadership in Louisiana under Landry, who replaced two-term Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards in January.
The Republican Party has a supermajority in the Legislature and the republicans hold all elected positions across the state, paving the way for lawmakers to push a conservative agenda.
In other states, such as Texas, Oklahoma and Utah, similar bills have been proposed requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms. However, in the face of threats of litigation over the constitutionality of such measures, no other state other than Louisiana has gotten them signed into law.
