New Louisiana Law mandates display of Ten Commandments in Public School classrooms
- In Reports
- 10:27 PM, Jun 20, 2024
- Myind Staff
All public schools in Louisiana must now display the Ten Commandments in every classroom after Republican Governor Jeff Landry signed the requirement into law on Wednesday, CNN reported.
Opponents of the bill argued that mandating a religious text in all classrooms violates the establishment clause of the US Constitution, which stipulates that Congress can "make no law respecting an establishment of religion."
House Bill 71, approved by state lawmakers last month, mandates that a poster-size display of the Ten Commandments with "large, easily readable font" be placed in every classroom at schools receiving state funding, from kindergarten through university level.
The legislation specifies the exact language for the Commandments and outlines that the text must be the central focus of the poster or framed document.
Republican Governor Jeff Landry praised the bill, calling it "one of (his) favourites." He stated, "If you want to respect the rule of law, you gotta start from the original law given which was Moses. ... He got his commandments from God."
During the bill signing, Louisiana state Rep. Dodie Horton, the Republican author of the bill, said, "it’s like hope is in the air everywhere." Horton dismissed concerns from Democratic opponents, asserting that the Ten Commandments are rooted in legal history and that her bill would place a "moral code" in the classroom.
Civil liberties groups have swiftly vowed to challenge the new law, CNN reported.
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 stated that the law violates longstanding Supreme Court precedent and the First Amendment, resulting in "unconstitutional religious coercion of students."
"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 groups said in a joint statement.
Supporters of the law have defended it, citing the 2022 US Supreme Court decision in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District. This case reinstated a high school football coach who was disciplined for praying on the field.
The Supreme Court ruled that the coach’s prayers were private speech, protected by the First Amendment, and could not be restricted by the school district. This decision further lowered the bar between church and state, allowing more religious expression in public spaces.
The court clarified that a government entity does not necessarily violate the Establishment Clause by permitting religious expression in public, reported CNN.
Image source: ANI
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