Former President Trump Endorses First Mandatory Display of Ten Commandments in Public Schools: A Historical Precedent and Constitutional Controversy

Baton Rouge, Louisiana United States of America
Civil liberties organizations have announced their intention to challenge the law due to concerns over its constitutionality.
Former President Trump endorsed the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools on June 15, 2023.
Louisiana enacted a law requiring their presence in all classrooms receiving public funding.
The Louisiana law applies to all classrooms from kindergarten through university level.
The Ten Commandments are significant religious texts in Christianity and Judaism.
Former President Trump Endorses First Mandatory Display of Ten Commandments in Public Schools: A Historical Precedent and Constitutional Controversy

Former President Donald Trump endorsed the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools on June 15, 2023, following Louisiana's enactment of a law requiring their presence in all classrooms receiving public funding. This marks the first time a state has mandated such a display.

The Ten Commandments are significant religious texts in Christianity and Judaism. The Louisiana law applies to all classrooms from kindergarten through university level, making it the first major step towards the revival of religion in schools as per Trump's belief.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed the bill on June 14, 2023. However, civil liberties organizations such as the ACLU have already announced their intention to challenge this law due to concerns over its constitutionality and potential violation of church-state separation.

The Supreme Court ruled in a 1980 case that a Kentucky law requiring the Ten Commandments to be posted in public classrooms was unconstitutional. However, supporters of the Louisiana law argue that it is different because it does not endorse any particular religion but rather acknowledges the historical significance of these commandments.

The controversy surrounding this issue comes as Trump continues his efforts to court Christian conservative voters ahead of November's elections. The display of the Ten Commandments in schools has been a contentious topic for decades, with various states attempting and failing to implement similar measures in the past.

It is important to note that while some may view this move as promoting religious values, others argue it could potentially lead to further polarization and legal challenges. As journalists, our role is to provide factual information without bias or deception.


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Confidence

91%

Doubts
  • Is the Louisiana law truly different from the one ruled unconstitutional in 1980?
  • What are the specific concerns of civil liberties organizations regarding church-state separation?

Sources

98%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Trump praises Louisiana displaying Ten Commandments in public schools

Axios News Site: https://www.axios.com/2024/01-30/prior-authorization-gap-insurer-drug-decisions Ivana Saric Friday, 21 June 2024 14:58
  • Unique Points
    • Former President Trump endorsed displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools on June 15, 2023.
    • Louisiana became the first state in the US to require classrooms at schools receiving public funding to display a Protestant translation of the Ten Commandments.
    • Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed the law on June 14, 2023.
  • Accuracy
    • The Supreme Court ruled in the 1980s that a Kentucky law requiring the Ten Commandments to be posted in public classrooms was unconstitutional.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

33%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Ten Commandments in Louisiana schools is fine – as long as they note the ones Trump broke

USA Today Thursday, 20 June 2024 00:00
  • Unique Points
    • Louisiana’s governor signed a law requiring a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom in the state.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (0%)
    The article is deceptive as it uses emotional manipulation and sensationalism to engage readers. The author's statements are not factual but rather an opinion piece that implies Donald Trump has violated the Ten Commandments. No direct quotes or facts from the Ten Commandments are provided, only the author's interpretation of how Trump may have violated them based on selective reporting.
    • Louisiana’s governor signed a law requiring a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom in the state, something I’m completely fine with as long as those posters say, in large font along the top: ‘The Ten Commandments, Most of Which Donald Trump Has Violated.’
    • Trump rarely goes to church, and on this Easter Sunday he posted this decidedly non-holy screed on social media:
    • He has also been indicted for allegedly stealing classified documents, something thou should definitely not do.
    • If students of the Bayou State who gaze upon their government-mandated Ten Commandments poster are going to see that warning to ‘not bear false witness,’ it is only fair that every remaining square inch of every classroom wall be devoted to detailing the multitudinous lies Trump told throughout his one-term presidency and the entire 2024 presidential campaign.
    • Trump has previously dropped ‘g--damn’ in his rally speeches.
  • Fallacies (5%)
    The author commits the fallacy of Hypocrisy by criticizing Donald Trump for violating the Ten Commandments while promoting a law that requires displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric and appeals to emotion.
    • Any 10 Commandments poster should note the ones Trump violated
    • Trump, MAGA supporters’ violent rhetoric isn’t a glitch. It’s a feature.
    • He has also been indicted for allegedly stealing classified documents, something thou should definitely not do.
    • Maybe a photo of Trump will cancel out the 10 Commandments posters.
  • Bias (0%)
    The author demonstrates clear religious bias by focusing on Donald Trump's violations of the Ten Commandments and suggesting that classrooms display a note about it. The author also uses derogatory language towards Trump and his supporters.
    • He has also been indicted for allegedly stealing classified documents.
      • Louisiana’s governor signed a law requiring a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom in the state, something I’m completely fine with as long as those posters say, in large font along the top: ‘The Ten Commandments, Most of Which Donald Trump Has Violated.’
        • Maybe a photo of Trump will cancel out the 10 Commandments poster The ACLU has said that it will sue Louisiana over the Ten Commandments law, writing on social media: <QUOTE>Public schools are not Sunday schools.<QUOTE>
          • <QUOTE>HAPPY EASTER TO ALL, INCLUDING CROOKED AND CORRUPT PROSECUTORS AND JUDGES THAT ARE DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO INTERFERE WITH THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 2024, AND PUT ME IN PRISON, INCLUDING THOSE MANY PEOPLE THAT I COMPLETELY & TOTALLY DESPISE BECAUSE THEY WANT TO DESTROY AMERICA, A NOW FAILING NATION, LIKE ‘DERANGED’ JACK SMITH, WHO IS EVIL AND ‘SICK.’<QUOTE>
            • Trump has previously dropped ‘g--damn’ in his rally speeches.
              • Trump rarely goes to church, and on this Easter Sunday he posted this decidedly non-holy screed on social media:
              • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication

              98%

              The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
              (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

              A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

              Trump expresses support for displaying the Ten Commandments in schools

              CNN News Site: In-Depth Reporting and Analysis with Some Financial Conflicts and Sensational Language Kate Sullivan Friday, 21 June 2024 16:17
              • Unique Points
                • Former President Donald Trump expressed support for displaying the Ten Commandments in schools after Louisiana’s Republican governor signed new legislation requiring their display in all classrooms.
                • Louisiana is the first state to mandate a poster-size display of the Ten Commandments with ‘large, easily readable font’ in every classroom from kindergarten through university level that receives state funding.
              • Accuracy
                • Louisiana is the first state to mandate a poster-size display of the Ten Commandments in every classroom from kindergarten through university level that receives state funding.
                • Former President Trump endorsed displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools on June 15, 2023.
                • Louisiana became the first state in the US to require classrooms at schools receiving public funding to display a Protestant translation of the Ten Commandments.
              • Deception (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Fallacies (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Bias (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication

              84%

              The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
              (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

              A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

              The U.S. decline in religiosity isn’t from a lack of Ten Commandments

              The Fixing Site: A Summary of the Article. Philip Bump Thursday, 20 June 2024 19:18
              • Unique Points
                • The Supreme Court rejected a law requiring the placement of the Ten Commandments in public schools in the 1980s.
                • The percentage of Americans who identify as 'other' (not Protestant, Catholic, or Jewish) in religious terms has increased from 2% in 1960 to over a third by 2016.
                • A Gallup survey shows a steady increase in the percentage of people saying that religion is not important in their lives since around the year 2000.
              • Accuracy
                • ]The Supreme Court rejected a law requiring the placement of the Ten Commandments in public schools.[
              • Deception (30%)
                The article makes selective reporting by focusing on the recent legislation in Louisiana and the Supreme Court case from 1980, while ignoring the overall trend of decreasing religiosity in America since the 1950s. The author also uses emotional manipulation by implying that those who support displaying the Ten Commandments in schools are motivated by a desire to boost their own political positions.
                • The American National Election Studies (ANES) survey is conducted around federal elections and has since 1948 included a question measuring religious identity. That allows us to see that the percentage of Americans who identify their religion as ‘other’ – that is, not Protestant, Catholic or Jewish – was rising from the mid-1950s until the 1980 Stone v. Graham decision upending Kentucky’s law.
                • Notice the shift that began in about the year 2000.
                • For Landry, the move is a great bit of publicity.
              • Fallacies (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Bias (95%)
                The author expresses a clear bias towards the secular and against religious displays in public schools. He uses language that depicts those who support the display of the Ten Commandments as attempting to boost Christianity or Christian values, rather than acknowledging their stated intent of upholding the rule of law. The author also implies that these efforts are unlikely to increase religiosity among students.
                • But this idea is itself in keeping with current right-wing orthodoxy, which holds that a main reason that young people express more-liberal politics is that they have been unduly brainwashed by nefarious leftists who work as teachers and professors.
                  • If advocates of the law think that the effect of the law will be to increase the religiosity of Louisiana students, though, they are probably going to be disappointed.
                    • The bottom of each copy of the Ten Commandments placed in Kentucky schools tried the same ploy, insisting that there was a secular application of the Ten Commandments.
                    • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                      None Found At Time Of Publication
                    • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                      None Found At Time Of Publication

                    91%

                    The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
                    (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

                    A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

                    Long a Republican state, Louisiana is redder than ever under new governor

                    The Associated Press News Friday, 21 June 2024 04:14
                    • Unique Points
                      • Louisiana has voted for the Republican candidate in every presidential election since 2000.
                      • Republican Gov. Jeff Landry has carried out a sweeping conservative agenda in just six months on the job.
                      • Landry signed the nation’s first law requiring that the Ten Commandments be posted in every public classroom.
                      • He enacted a new law classifying abortion pills as dangerous controlled substances.
                      • Landry voiced support for a bill calling for a Texas-style immigration crackdown.
                    • Accuracy
                      • Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed the nation’s first law requiring that the Ten Commandments be posted in every public classroom.
                    • Deception (100%)
                      None Found At Time Of Publication
                    • Fallacies (90%)
                      The article contains some inflammatory rhetoric and appeals to authority, but no formal or blatant logical fallacies were found. The author describes the actions of Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as 'bold and powerful' and quotes a Texas-based GOP strategist praising Landry's effectiveness. These are examples of inflammatory rhetoric that can influence readers without providing any logical reasoning.
                      • ]From about 500 miles away, it certainly appears that he has been effective very quickly.[/
                      • He has hit the ground running and the potential is really high.[
                    • Bias (95%)
                      The article does not directly demonstrate any bias from the author. However, the language used to describe Landry's actions and policies leans positively towards him. The article mentions his 'sweeping conservative agenda', 'bold and powerful step', 'effective very quickly', and quotes a GOP strategist praising him as having a 'high potential'. While this is not overtly biased, it does present Landry's actions in a favorable light.
                      • He has hit the ground running and the potential is really high.
                        • It certainly gives you hope that your efforts are going to be productive when you’ve got a governor who you know where he stands on things and also know that there’s a good chance he will sign them.
                        • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                          None Found At Time Of Publication
                        • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
                          None Found At Time Of Publication