Louisiana recently became the first state to require the display of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom. Governor Jeff Landry signed the legislation into law, which mandates the poster-sized display of the commandments in a large, easily readable font. The law also includes a four-paragraph “context statement” highlighting the historical significance of the Commandments in American public education. The posters are required to be in place by the start of 2025 and will be paid for through donations, not state funds.
In addition to the Ten Commandments, the law also authorizes the display of other items in K-12 public schools, such as the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, and the Northwest Ordinance. The controversial law has faced criticism from civil rights groups and organizations advocating for the separation of church and state. Critics argue that the law violates the First Amendment by imposing religious beliefs on students in the public school system, infringing on their freedom of religion.
State Senator Royce Duplessis, a Democrat, voiced his opposition to the legislation, citing the importance of separation of church and state. Despite opposition, the law reflects the conservative agenda promoted by the GOP-dominated Legislature in Louisiana. Governor Landry, who took office in January, has ushered in a new era of conservative leadership in the state. With Republicans holding a supermajority in the Legislature and all statewide elected positions, lawmakers have been able to push through a conservative agenda, including the Ten Commandments display mandate.
The bill’s author, State House Representative Dodie Horton, defended the law by stating that the Ten Commandments are the basis of all laws in Louisiana. Horton expressed the hope that Louisiana would be the first state to reintroduce a moral code into classrooms. Similar bills requiring the display of the Ten Commandments have been proposed in other states, including Texas, Oklahoma, and Utah. However, legal challenges over the constitutionality of such measures have prevented other states from enacting similar laws.
Legal battles over the display of the Ten Commandments in public spaces are not new. In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a Kentucky law mandating the display of the Commandments was unconstitutional. The court found that the law lacked a secular purpose and served a religious agenda, violating the establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution. Despite the long history of legal challenges surrounding the display of religious texts in public spaces, Louisiana has become the first state to successfully pass a law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms.
