Here's what Louisiana's 10 Commandment posters for classrooms could look like
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One Ten Commandments poster features "Hamilton" star Lin-Manuel Miranda with the musical's "Ten Dual Commandments." Image: @AGLizMurrill/X
Pictures of Martin Luther King Jr., Moses and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and satirical lyrics outlining how to shoot your enemies are among poster designs Louisiana leaders are using to defend a new state law on displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms.
Why it matters: The examples are part of Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill's request to be filed Monday asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit seeking to block the law over concerns it is unconstitutional.
Between the lines: "The burden of proof for the plaintiffs in this case is to show that there's not a single way to constitutionally apply this law," Murrill said in a press conference Monday.
- "Whether someone picks one [of the sample posters] or doesn't pick one, this illustrates that there are constitutional ways to apply this law," she said. "On that basis alone, their claim fails."
Zoom in: In the press conference, Murrill spoke at a podium while flanked by oversized examples of the suggested poster designs her office developed.
- One example quotes lyrics from the hit musical "Hamilton" by listing the "Ten Duel Commandments" opposite the state-mandated version. It includes directives to "get some pistols and a doctor" and "leave a note for your next of kin." On X, Murrill called it "plainly constitutional."
- Another draws a comparison between Moses and Martin Luther King Jr., reading "Like Moses handed down the law, Martin Luther King Jr. required Birmingham campaign volunteers to sign a commitment card consisting of ten commandments."
- Other poster designs used the Ten Commandments to highlight work by the American Civil Liberties Union, which is part of the team suing to block the law from being enforced, and a Supreme Court case that found the display of the Ten Commandments on government property in Texas unconstitutional.
What he said: Gov. Jeff Landry was on hand to offer his support in Murrill's press conference, noting that the new state law is "the will of the people."
- "Democracy means majority rules," he said. "That majority gets to rule. That doesn't mean that if you don't like something, you have a right to influence that which the majority likes."
- Students from families who are opposed to the new posters, he said, can "tell the child not to look at them."
The fine print: The state law doesn't require schools to comply until January, Murrill said, and when they do, the Ten Commandments must be displayed alongside "a context statement," which the law outlines and appears as fine print on Murrill's examples.
- It also requires the posters be no smaller than 11 inches by 14 inches, and use donated posters or donated funds to buy them.
- State officials have already agreed in federal court not to begin posting the Ten Commandments in classrooms until November at the earliest as the lawsuit plays out.
The other side: "Displaying the Ten Commandments in public-school classrooms infringes on the religious freedom of every student and parent in Louisiana," ACLU of Louisiana executive director Alanah Odoms tells Axios New Orleans in reaction to Monday's press conference. The organization is one of the civil rights groups backing the nine Louisiana families that have filed suit against the state.
- "We are committed to ensuring that the state does not impede students' right to learn in a safe and inclusive environment, and we will stand firm in this battle," Odoms says.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include a statement from the American Civil Liberties Union.