Current:Home > NewsThe Ten Commandments must be displayed in Louisiana classrooms under requirement signed into law -Thrive Success Strategies
The Ten Commandments must be displayed in Louisiana classrooms under requirement signed into law
View
Date:2025-04-16 22:15:32
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana has become the first state to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom under a bill signed into law by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry on Wednesday.
The GOP-drafted legislation mandates that a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in “large, easily readable font” be required in all public classrooms, from kindergarten to state-funded universities. Although the bill did not receive final approval from Landry, the time for gubernatorial action — to sign or veto the bill — has lapsed.
Opponents question the law’s constitutionality, warning that lawsuits are likely to follow. Proponents say the purpose of the measure is not solely religious, but that it has historical significance. In the law’s language, the Ten Commandments are described as “foundational documents of our state and national government.”
The displays, which will 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,” must be in place in classrooms by the start of 2025.
The posters would be paid for through donations. State funds will not be used to implement the mandate, based on language in the legislation.
The law also “authorizes” — but does not require — the display of the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence and the Northwest Ordinance in K-12 public schools.
Similar bills requiring the Ten Commandments be displayed in classrooms 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 had success in making the bills law.
Legal battles over the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms are not new.
In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a similar Kentucky law was unconstitutional and violated the establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution, which says Congress can “make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” The high court found that the law had no secular purpose but rather served a plainly religious purpose.
Louisiana’s controversial law, in a state ensconced in the Bible Belt, comes during a new era of conservative leadership in the state under Landry, who replaced two-term Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards in January.
The GOP also has a two-thirds supermajority in the Legislature, and Republicans hold every statewide elected position, paving the way for lawmakers to push through a conservative agenda during the legislative session that concluded earlier this month.
veryGood! (9563)
Related
- Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
- Online account thought to belong to Trump shooter was fake, source says
- FACT FOCUS: Heritage Foundation leader wrong to say most political violence is committed by the left
- Britney Spears slams Ozzy Osbourne, family for mocking her dance videos as 'sad'
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- Jury returns mixed verdict in slaying of Detroit synagogue leader Samantha Woll
- Montana’s largest nursing home prepares to close following patient safety violations
- Taylor Swift sings 'I'm falling in love again' for second time to boyfriend Travis Kelce
- The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
- Lou Dobbs, political commentator and former 'Lou Dobbs Tonight' anchor, dies at 78
Ranking
- Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
- Mississippi can wait to reset legislative districts that dilute Black voting strength, judges say
- Horoscopes Today, July 18, 2024
- Funds to Help Low-Income Families With Summer Electric Bills Are Stretched Thin
- South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
- People are making 'salad' out of candy and their trauma. What's going on?
- 'He was my hero': Hundreds honor Corey Comperatore at Pennsylvania memorial service
- University of Florida president Ben Sasse is resigning after his wife was diagnosed with epilepsy
Recommendation
Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
Aurora Culpo Reveals Why She Was “Dumped” by Bethenny Frankel’s Ex Paul Bernon
Usha Vance introduces RNC to husband JD Vance, who's still the most interesting person she's known
JD Vance's mother had emotional reaction when he celebrated her 10 years of sobriety during speech
Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
'Is he gonna bite the boat?' Video shows white shark circling Massachusetts boaters
How Travis Barker Is Bonding With Kourtney Kardashian's Older Kids After Welcoming Baby Rocky
Appeals courts are still blocking Biden’s efforts to expand LGBTQ+ protections under Title IX