Louisiana has become the first US state to require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom, in the latest move by new Republican Governor Jeff Landry.
The legislation requires a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in "large, easily readable font" in all public classrooms, from kindergarten to state-funded universities.
The posters will each be paired with a four-paragraph "context statement' describing how the Ten Commandments "were a prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries.Ɣ Civil rights organisations including the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Freedom from Religion Foundation argue the law prevents students from getting an equal education and will keep children who have different beliefs from feeling safe at school.
Opponents questioned the law's constitutionality and vowed to challenge it in court.
Proponents say the Ten Commandments are not solely religious, but are also of historical significance as foundational texts of the United States government. Similar bills have been proposed in other states including Texas, Oklahoma and Utah. However, with threats of legal battles over the constitutionality of such measures, no state besides Louisiana has succeeded in making the bills law. The new law comes after Mr Landry replaced two-term Democratic governor John Bel Edwards in January 2024. Republicans now hold every statewide elected position in Louisiana. The law also "authorises" but does not require the display of other items in public schools. These items include The Mayflower Compact, which was signed by religious pilgrims aboard the Mayflower in 1620 and is often referred to as Americas "First ConstitutionƔ State funds will not be used to implement the mandate, with the posters to be paid for through donations. In response, the American Civil Liberties Union and two other groups - Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom from Religion Foundation - said they would challenge the bill. They argued that displaying religious texts in public schools violates both Supreme Court precedent and the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
The new law comes after Governor Landry replaced a two-term Democratic governor in January 2024, and Republicans now hold every statewide elected position in Louisiana. The law also authorises but does not require the display of other items in public schools, including The Mayflower Compact. State funds will not be used to implement the mandate, with the posters to be paid for through donations.
CNN reported that opponents of the bill have argued that a state requiring a religious text in all classrooms would violate the establishment clause of the US Constitution, which says that Congress can “make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” The American Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Freedom from Religion Foundation said that the law violates longstanding Supreme Court precedent and the First Amendment and would result in “unconstitutional religious coercion of students.”
Supporters of the law, in defending the measure, have leaned on the 2022 US Supreme Court decision in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, which gave a high school football coach his job back after he was disciplined over a controversy involving prayer on the field. The Supreme Court ruled that the coach’s prayers amounted to private speech, protected by the First Amendment, and could not be restricted by the school district.
The decision lowered the bar between church and state in an opinion that legal experts predicted would allow more religious expression in public spaces. Louisiana state Rep. Dodie Horton, the Republican author of the bill, said at the bill signing that “it’s like hope is in the air everywhere.” Horton has dismissed concerns from Democratic opponents of the measure, saying the Ten Commandments are rooted in legal history and her bill would place a “Moral code” in the classroom. The first of its kind, Louisiana requires all public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom that receives state funding from kindergarten through the university level.
This story has been updated with additional details.
