Louisiana becomes 1st state requiring Ten Commandments be posted in classrooms
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Louisiana is now the first state in the U.S. to require the Ten Commandments be posted in all school classrooms.
Why it matters: The new law, signed Wednesday by Gov. Jeff Landry, will face immediate legal challenges.
The big picture: Other states, including Texas, South Carolina and Utah recently attempted similar measures, but none got their bills across the legislative finish line with the same requirement as Louisiana's.
- Those efforts began after Supreme Court rulings in cases like Kennedy v. Bremerton School District indicated a looser interpretation of the Constitution's Establishment Clause, which prevents state-sponsored religion.
- Louisiana's new law requires a Protestant translation of the Ten Commandments be posted in all classrooms within schools requiring public funding, including colleges and universities.
Friction point: A group of civil rights organizations said they would immediately file suit to challenge the new law, according to a press release.
- Organizations opposing the law include the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Louisiana, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom from Religion Foundation.
- In a shared statement, the organizations called the new law "blatantly unconstitutional."
Yes, but: Landry expected that to happen.
- "I'm going home to sign a bill that places the Ten Commandments in public classrooms," he said earlier this week in a keynote address a Republican fundraiser in Nashville. "And I can't wait to be sued."
Catch up quick: The bill was written by Rep. Dodie Horton (R-Haughton) and requires the Ten Commandments be printed on a poster no smaller than 11 inches by 14 inches.
- The text must be "the central focus" of the document.
- Horton has said the commandments are the "basis of all laws in Louisiana."
Zoom out: The Ten Commandments bill was among a slate of education-focused legislation Landry signed Wednesday, according to his office.
- Among the newly signed laws is the first step in a plan to pay for private school tuition with public funds.
- He also signed HB121, which requires teachers to get parental permission to use a trans student's preferred pronouns, and protects teachers from disciplinary action if they refuse to use them.