Gov. Jeff Landry has signed a controversial bill requiring public schools and colleges in Louisiana to display the Ten Commandments in their classrooms, a move that will likely draw legal challenges. Landry, a Republican who served as the state’s attorney general before becoming governor, has been criticized by free-speech groups for violating the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from “establishing” a religion. Critics argue that the bill violates the separation of church and state, and that religious leaders have also opposed the mandate.
Over 100 Christian pastors and churchgoers in Louisiana signed a petition last month urging Landry to veto the bill, arguing that families and faith groups should control religious education rather than the government. The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty also called on Landry to veto the legislation, arguing that it “disrespects religious diversity.”
State Rep. Dodie Horton, R-Haughton, sponsored the legislation, arguing that the law is constitutional, pointing to a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld a public school football coach’s right to pray on the field. She added that her bill is not meant to indoctrinate children but to give them “guidelines.” The bill requires public schools to post the Ten Commandments in classrooms by Jan. 1, with displays measuring at least 11 by 14 inches and featuring “large, easily readable font.”
The final version of the bill includes several amendments to head off potential legal challenges. Schools must post a “context statement” alongside the Biblical text that says the Ten Commandments were a prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries. Schools may also display other historical texts, such as the Declaration of Independence.
Proponents of the bill say the Ten Commandments belong in public schools because of their historical significance. Gene Mills, president of the Louisiana Family Forum, a conservative advocacy group, said that the bill’s amendments will be useful “if it’s going to survive a constitutional challenge.”
