BY BROOKE THORINGTON
Upon Governor Jeff Landry’s signature of the Ten Commandments bill requiring them to be posted in every public school classroom, Executive Director of the ACLU of Louisiana Alanah Odoms said they are filing a lawsuit.
“Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers, actually declared that there is a line that cannot be crossed where we in fact have the separation of church and state, and this piece of legislation flies in the face of that,” said Odoms.
President of the Louisiana Family Forum Gene Mills helped craft the legislation and he said not only do the Ten Commandments belong in the classroom for their historical significance, but they set a universal moral code that every individual conscience is bound to.
“And children are in desperate need of that right now. We don’t believe there’s an impermissible objective, we think there’s a necessary objective, and that this can be done in the context of both history and with a secular context. And it will withstand a challenge,” said Mills.
Governor Landry has stated he welcomes the legal challenge as Louisiana becomes the first state to require them in the classroom. Odoms said Landry knows what he signed is patently unconstitutional.
“And essentially he is defying the United States Constitution and doing so seemingly with blatant disregard to the fundamental constitutional right of our citizens and that’s no joking matter, so we intend to see him in court,” said Odoms.
Mills said the Ten Commandments law will withstand the legal challenge and once it does, he believes other states will follow Louisiana’s lead.
“And Liz Murrill and her solicitor general are hands-on and understand what’s at stake. I think that’s the reason the governor said, ‘I can’t wait for the challenge,’” said Mills.
The law also authorizes the display of the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, and the Northwest Ordinance.
