Louisiana set to become 1st state requiring 10 Commandments be posted in schools
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Louisiana is poised to become the first state requiring display of the Ten Commandments at all schools that receive public funding, including colleges and universities.
The big picture: Lawmakers in other states, like Texas, South Carolina and Utah have recently attempted similar legislation, but none have yet passed any as stringent as Louisiana appears likely to approve.
- The efforts to require the Ten Commandment displays began after Supreme Court rulings in cases like Kennedy v. Bremerton School District indicated a looser interpretation of the Constitution's Establishment Clause.
- That clause prevents state-sponsored religion.
Flashback: The U.S. Supreme Court found a Ten Commandments display requirement unconstitutional in a 1980 ruling on a Kentucky case.
Zoom in: The Louisiana bill, HB71, was authored by Rep. Dodie Horton (R-Bossier), whose 2023 bill requiring the words "In God We Trust" be posted in every classroom also became law.
- The new bill requires the text of the Ten Commandments be printed on a poster no smaller than 11 inches by 14 inches and that the words be "the central focus" of the document.
Friction point: Sen. Royce Duplessis, D-New Orleans, was the only lawmaker to speak against the bill Thursday, according to NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune.
- "I didn't have to learn the Ten Commandments in school. We went to Sunday school," he said. "You want your kids to learn about the Ten Commandments, take them to church."
- Duplessis also noted that the bill is likely to earn legal challenges, defending which could require "valuable state resources."
A group of civil rights organizations, including the ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Southern Poverty Law Center issued a joint statement opposing the legislation.
- The statement notes the bill "requires a specific version of the Ten Commandments" and that displays departing from it "would violate state law."
What's next: The bill passed the state Senate with a 30-8 vote Thursday, but requires a second vote in front of the full House before it would land on Gov. Jeff Landry's desk for signature.
- Since it initially passed in the House, the bill was amended to state that the displays could be paid for by public donation.