New Louisiana law requires display of Ten Commandments in classrooms, civil rights groups plan to challenge
Louisiana is the first state to require the display of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom after Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed a bill into law Wednesday. Under the legislation, H.B. 71, a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in "large, easily readable font" is required in all public classrooms, from kindergartens to state-funded universities. Over the weekend, Landry touted the bill at a fundraiser in Tennessee. "I’m going home to sign a bill that places the Ten Commandments in public classrooms," he said, according to a report in the Tennessean. "And I can’t wait to be sued."
The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana said Wednesday that it will file a legal challenge to the law, saying it violates a long-standing U.S. Supreme Court precedent and the First Amendment.
The groups said the new law will send a "chilling message" to students and families who don't follow the state’s preferred version of the Ten Commandments. However, Matt Krause, counsel at the First Liberty Institute, heralded the decision, arguing, "The Pelican State has rightly recognized the history and tradition of the Ten Commandments in the state. Putting this historic document on schoolhouse walls is a great way to remind students of the foundations of American and Louisiana law."
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