Louisiana has become the first state to mandate the display of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom, under a bill signed by Republican Governor Jeff Landry on Wednesday.
The legislation, authored by the GOP, requires that a large, easily readable poster of the Ten Commandments be displayed in all public classrooms, from kindergarten to state-funded universities. Although Governor Landry did not officially approve the bill, the period for gubernatorial action to sign or veto it has passed.
Critics argue the law is unconstitutional and predict lawsuits will follow. Supporters contend the measure is historically significant, not solely religious. The law describes the Ten Commandments as “foundational documents of our state and national government.”
The American Civil Liberties Union announced on Wednesday that it would join Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Freedom from Religion Foundation in filing a lawsuit against the new legislation.
“The law violates the separation of church and state and is blatantly unconstitutional,” the groups said in a joint statement. “The First Amendment ensures that individuals can decide their own religious beliefs without government pressure. Politicians should not impose their preferred religious doctrines on public school students and families.”
In April, State Senator Royce Duplessis expressed opposition to the legislation, emphasizing the importance of the separation of church and state. He suggested that religious teachings belong in places of worship, not public schools.
The displays, which will include a four-paragraph context statement explaining the historical significance of the Ten Commandments in American education, must be installed in classrooms by the beginning of 2025. The posters will be funded through donations, not state funds.
The law also allows—but does not require—the display of the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, and the Northwest Ordinance in K-12 public schools.
State House Representative Dodie Horton, who authored the bill, defended it by stating that the Ten Commandments form the basis of all laws in Louisiana. She expressed hope that Louisiana would be the first state to reintroduce a moral code in classrooms.
Similar bills have been proposed in states like Texas, Oklahoma, and Utah, but none have succeeded due to legal challenges over their constitutionality.
The legal dispute over displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms is not new. In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a similar law in Kentucky was unconstitutional, as it had no secular purpose and served a plainly religious purpose.
Louisiana’s new law, in the Bible Belt state, emerges during a period of conservative leadership under Governor Landry, who succeeded two-term Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards in January. With a Republican supermajority in the Legislature and control of all statewide elected positions, conservative lawmakers have advanced their agenda during the recent legislative session.
