Louisiana requires Ten Commandments in schools: Where do other states stand?
Every public classroom in Louisiana, from elementary schools to colleges, will be required to display the Ten Commandments starting in January under a new law signed by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry on June 19.
The law, the first such legislation in the nation, is already being challenged by parents and several groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union. They say the measure is unconstitutional and filed a lawsuit against it on Monday.
But while Louisiana has drawn national attention by passing the law, it’s not the first to attempt it.
Over decades, more than a dozen states have tried similar bills, including Kentucky’s landmark Stone v. Graham case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1980. Here are a few examples:
Which states have tried – or are trying to pass – Ten Commandment bills?
Kentucky: 'Durable, permanent copies'
◾ State law passed: June 1978.
◾ What did the law say? A "durable, permanent copy" of Ten Commandments "shall be displayed on a wall in each public elementary and secondary school classroom in the Commonwealth."
◾ Reason for the law: A note on copies of the commandments read: "The secular application of the Ten Commandments is clearly seen in its adoption as the fundamental legal code of Western Civilization and the Common Law of the United States."
◾ Ten Commandments copy size: 16 x 20 inches.
◾ Who pays for copies? Voluntary contributions.
◾ Law status: A Kentucky state trial court and the state supreme court upheld the law. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against it in a 5-4 decision in November 1980.
Oklahoma: 'One of the foundations of our nation'
◾ Introduced: Jan. 22.
◾ What does the bill say? All public classrooms in Oklahoma would be required “clearly display a poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments.”
◾ Reason for the bill: "The Ten Commandments is one of the foundations of our nation," said Rep. Jim Olsen, R-Roland, the bill’s sponsor. "Publicly and proudly displaying them in public school classrooms will serve as a reminder of the ethics of our state and country."
◾ Ten Commandments copy size: 16 x 20 inches.
◾ Who pays for copies? Not specified.
◾ Bill status: Referred to the state's Appropriations and Budget Education Subcommittee on Feb. 6, where it remains.
Arizona: 'We have taken the Ten Commandments away from our schools'
◾ Introduced: Jan. 22.
◾ What does the bill say? The measure adds the Ten Commandments to a list of historical documents that “a teacher or administrator in any school in this state may read or post in any school building.”
◾ Reason for the bill: "The progressive slide down in our country right now is because we have taken the Ten Commandments away from our schools," said bill sponsor Sen. Anthony Kern, R-Glendale, during a Feb. 22 Senate floor session.
◾ Ten Commandments copy size: Not specified.
◾ Who pays for copies: Not specified.
◾ Bill status: The bill passed the Senate on Feb. 21 and the House on April 2. Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed the measure on April 16.
Utah: 'It is a very historical document'
◾ Introduced: Jan. 15.
◾ What the bill says: As originally filed, the measure would have required schools to post a framed copy or a poster of the Ten Commandments in “a prominent location” in every building.
◾ Reason for the bill: “The Ten Commandments, while it is a religious document, is a very historical document in that it colored the way our founders wrote the Constitution, wrote the Declaration (of Independence),” said Rep. Michael Petersen, R-North Logan, the bill’s sponsor.
◾ Ten Commandments copy size: 16 x 20 inches.
◾ Who pays for copies: Schools would be required to “accept and display a donation of "The Ten Commandments" if a copy is not already on display.” No money was appropriated in the bill.
◾ Bill status: The measure was changed in February. The requirement to post the Ten Commandments was dropped, but the commandments and the Magna Carta were added to a list of historical documents that educators have the option to use in curricula. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed the bill on March 20. It’s scheduled to take effect on July 1.
Texas: 'The importance of a fundamental foundation of America'
◾ Bill passed: April 20, 2023.
◾ What did the bill say? The measure would have required Texas classrooms to display a poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments “in a conspicuous place” in every classroom.
◾ Reason for the bill: Sponsor Republican state Sen. Phil King, said it would help restore lost religious liberties and remind students “of the importance of a fundamental foundation” of America, reported CNN.
◾ Ten Commandments copy size: At least 16 x 20 inches.
◾ Who pays for copies? Public funds or private donations.
◾ Law status: The Texas House did not vote on the bill before a deadline, in effect killing it.
South Carolina: 'Shall display in a conspicuous place'
◾ Bill passed: May 16, 2023.
◾ What did bill law say? Each public elementary, middle school, and secondary school in South Carolina “shall display in a conspicuous place in each classroom of the school a poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments.”
◾ Reason for the bill: The measure was sponsored by Republican representatives Thomas Beach, 10th District; Donald McCabe, 96th District; and Joseph White, 40th District.
◾ Ten Commandments copy size: 16 x 20 inches.
◾ Who pays for copies? Public funds or private donations.
◾ What happened? The bill was referred to the House Committee on Education and Public Works where it remains.
Monuments have also been challenged...
Oklahoma: 'Symbol of historic significance for Oklahoman and American history'
◾ Introduced: Jan. 30.
◾ What does the bill say? A state senator introduced the bill to return a privately funded, 6-foot-tall, 2,000-pound red granite monument bearing Ten Commandments to the Oklahoma State Capitol “as a symbol of its historic significance for Oklahoman and American history.” The monument, installed in 2012, was ordered removed by the Oklahoma Supreme Court in 2015 because it was religious in nature and violated the state constitution’s prohibition on using state funds or property to promote religion.
◾ Reason for the bill: The bill’s sponsor, Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, said Oklahoma has a strong Christian heritage and it’s important to honor it. Bullard said a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling favoring a high school football coach who prayed on the field after each game would help the bill become law.
◾ Ten Commandments copy size: Not applicable.
◾ Who paid for the monument: Privately funded.
◾ Bill status: The measure was not assigned to a committee and was declared dead on March 1.
Arkansas: 'An important component of the moral foundation of the laws and legal system'
◾ Law passed: April 7, 2015.
◾ What did the law say? The measure called for “the placing of a monument to the Ten Commandments on the grounds of the Arkansas State Capitol,” with design and site selection later determined.
◾ Reason for the law: The Ten Commandments are “an important component of the moral foundation of the laws and legal system of the United States of America and of the State of Arkansas,” the bill said.
◾ Ten Commandments monument size: The 6-foot-tall granite monument weighed three tons.
◾ Who paid for it? Private donations.
◾ What happened? The monument was placed at the state capitol in June 2017 but was knocked over and broken by a protester in a car a day after installation. A replacement was installed in April 2018.
◾ Law status: A lawsuit challenging the monument on First Amendment grounds of separation of church and state was later filed. A federal judge will decide if the case should be decided by the Arkansas Supreme Court.
New Mexico: 'A historical perspective'
◾ Monument installed: 2011.
◾ Why? The city council of Bloomfield, New Mexico, approved installing a Ten Commandments monument in front of city hall in 2007. Other monuments, including those for the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and Gettysburg Address, were installed later.
◾ Reason: Bloomfield City Manager Eric Strahl said the monuments had nothing to do with religion. “It’s the Ten Commandments from a historical perspective,” he said.
◾ Ten Commandments monument size: The 5-foot-high stone monument weighed 3,400 lbs.
◾ Who paid for it? Private donations.
◾ What happened? A lawsuit was filed against the monument on First Amendment grounds. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit ruled in November 2016 that the monument violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment and ordered it removed.
◾ Monument status: The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case in October 2017, in effect letting the appeals court ruling stand.
Where else have Ten Commandments displays been disputed?
Ohio, 2019: A middle school in New Philadelphia removed a 1920s-era plaque that contained the Ten Commandments after objections from the Freedom From Religion Foundation on grounds of separation of church and state in 2019.
Tennessee: 2004: Rutherford County was sued by the ACLU for displaying the Ten Commandments in the lobby of a county courthouse. A judge ordered their removal, but a county sheriff was allowed to keep them in his office.
Mississippi, 2003: A Senate bill that would have allowed the Ten Commandments to be displayed on school district properties across the state was introduced in 2003. It later died in an education committee.
Alabama, 2003: A federal appeals judge ordered the removal of a 2.5-ton Ten Commandment monument from the state's Judicial Building grounds after ruling it violated the Establishment clause of the First Amendment.
Indiana, 2002: The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from Gov. Frank O'Bannon on the proposed installation of a 7-foot monument bearing the Ten Commandments on statehouse grounds. That let stand an appeals court decision that prohibited the monument.
Contributing: Barbara Hoberock, The Oklahoman
Source: USA TODAY Network reporting and research; Reuters; Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute; supreme.findlaw.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How Louisiana's 10 Commandments law came to be.
