Louisiana first state to require Ten Commandments displayed in public school classrooms

Greg Hilburn, Shreveport Times
Updated ·2 min read
22
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Louisiana will be the first state to require that a copy of the Ten Commandments be displayed in all public classrooms from kindergarten to state-funded universities after Republican Haughton Rep. Dodie Horton's bill was signed into law by GOP Gov. Jeff Landry Wednesday.

"It's exciting and appropriate; the Ten Commandments are the plumb line on which all our laws are based," Horton said in an interview with USA Today Network Wednesday.

Horton insists the displays aren't advocating for any specific religion, even though they are a key tenet in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.

Civil liberties groups immediately announced Wednesday that they will file a lawsuit seeking to block the law as unconstitutional.

"The law violates the separation of church and state and is blatantly unconstitutional," 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 in a press release.

"The First Amendment promises that we all get to decide for ourselves what religious beliefs, if any, to hold and practice, without pressure from the government," the groups said. "Politicians have no business imposing their preferred religious doctrine on students and families in public schools."

Republican Haughton Rep. Dodie Horton has passed a law to require the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public classroom.
Republican Haughton Rep. Dodie Horton has passed a law to require the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public classroom.

Horton said she expected a legal challenge, "but we have consulted with our Attorney General (Liz Murrill) and are confident it will stand the test."

Landry has said he "can't wait to be sued" over the new law.

Horton noted the Ten Commandments are engraved on the U.S. Supreme Court building.

"We look at this document for its historical significane and the impact it has had on all our laws," she said.

Horton previously passed a bill that requires "In God We Trust" be displayed in Louisiana public classrooms.

The 84th Congress passed a joint resolution declaring "In God We Trust" the national motto of the United States" in 1956 without debate.

More: Can Louisiana eliminate income tax facing $600 million budget shortfall next year?

Greg Hilburn covers Louisiana politics for the USA Today Network. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Louisiana sets precedent with Ten Commandments displays in schools