BY CAILEY GLEESON
KEY FACTS
- Under the bill (HB71), all public schools in Louisiana must display the Ten Commandments beginning Jan. 1 in each classroom on a poster or framed document, which must be at least 11 by 14 inches, with the text of the Commandments displayed in a “large, easily readable font.”
- Such posters must also include a four-paragraph “context statement” that says, among other things, that the Ten Commandments “were a prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries.”
- The law does not require institutions to pay for the displays, but rather accept funds or donations of the posters themselves.
- Schools may also display the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence and the Northwest Ordinance under the new law.
- The measure was sent to Gov. Jeff Landry on June 4, according to the state legislature website, and AP reported the window for him to sign or veto the bill had passed.
- Representatives for Landry’s office did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment.
CHIEF CRITIC
The American Civil Liberties Union and its Louisiana counterpart, as well as the Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom from Religion Foundation slammed the decision in a joint statement Wednesday, where the groups announced they will file a lawsuit. “The law violates the separation of church and state and is blatantly unconstitutional,” the groups said. “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.”
CRUCIAL QUOTE
"Governor Landry's decision to require schools to display the Ten Commandments is a disappointing step backward,” Alanah Odoms, executive director of ACLU Louisiana, told Forbes. “On Juneteenth, a celebration of freedom and progress, this move undermines the principles of inclusivity and separation of church and state that our nation strives to uphold."
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Landry said he “can’t wait to be sued” when vowing to sign the bill at a fundraiser on Saturday, according to multiple outlets.
KEY BACKGROUND
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned a similar mandate in 1980 in its ruling on Stone v. Graham, which was based on a law in Kentucky that required public schools to display the Ten Commandments. The Court ruled that the law violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from “establishing” a religion. However, 2022 rulings from the conservative-majority Supreme Court have complicated the interpretation of the clause. Several other states, including Texas and South Carolina, have proposed similar legislation though such measures ultimately failed to clear legislative hurdles.
TANGENT
Landry, who took office in January, has passed a number of conservative policies—which have drawn criticism from civil rights advocates. In late May, state lawmakers passed a first-of-its-kind bill to classify abortion pills as dangerous controlled substances. The drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol, can be used for abortions but are also used for miscarriages. Landry signed the measure into law the following day, according to AP.
