The Ten Commandments that you must publish in every classroom: This is the content of the bill issued on Wednesday by Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, Republican. His term becomes the first in the country to impose such a measure, which will be the subject of legal challenges.
The law requires that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every classroom in all public schools, from elementary school to university. Schools have until January 1, 2025 to comply.
During the signing ceremony for a series of bills, including this one, Governor Landry declared that was what they were meant to be Spreading the faith in public schools
.
If you want to respect the rule of law, you have to start with the first lawgiver, Moses.
Labels must be accompanied by a Contextual statement
Describing how the Ten Commandments It has been an important part of American public education for nearly three centuries
.
The text of the law calls for this Ensuring that all public school students understand and become familiar with the founding documents of our government and our national government
.
Including the Ten Commandments in our children's education is part of the history, culture and traditions of our state and country.
The legislative text specifies the minimum size that labels must be, i.e. 11 x 14 inches (28 x 36 centimetres). Commandments must be The central point of the poster
And it is written in Large, easy-to-read font
The law stipulates.
Legal challenges ahead
The matter will likely end in a possible legal appeal to the US Supreme Court.
Photo: Getty Images/Aldrago
Critics of the law say it conflicts with the First Amendment, which specifically prohibits the government from establishing a national religion.
Four civil rights and libertarian groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, have announced that they will challenge the law in court.
This law violates the separation of church and state and is blatantly unconstitutional
They responded in a press release.
Politicians do not have to impose their preferred religious faith on students and families in public schools.
But the legal action scenario was expected and even hoped for by Governor Landry.
I will be back home to sign a bill that will put the Ten Commandments in public classrooms. And I can't wait to get sued
He said this a few days ago during a party event held in Tennessee, according to the newspaper tn.
Other states, including Texas, Oklahoma and Utah, have proposed similar bills in the past but backed down due to legal threats.
In 1980, the Supreme Court ruled that a Kentucky law mandating that a copy of the Ten Commandments be hung on the wall of every classroom in the state's public schools was unconstitutional.
But in recent years, the American religious right has been galvanized by some Supreme Court decisions that have expanded the place of religion in public schools.
In 2022, the highest US court, for example, overturned the expulsion of an American football coach who prayed on the field.
According to the The New York TimesThe Louisiana legislative initiative is also part of a broader movement by the American religious right that aims to provoke legal action that will ultimately end up before a Supreme Court more receptive to its values than in the past. The nation's highest court now has six conservative and three progressive justices.
“The foundation of all laws” of the state
Last month, the final version of the text was approved by a strong majority of 30 votes to 8 in the Senate, then 79 votes to 16 in the House of Representatives, two chambers largely dominated by Republicans.
Last month, the bill's sponsor, Rep. Dodie Horton, announced on the House floor that the Ten Commandments were The basis of all Louisiana laws
.
Given all the incivility our children are subjected to in today's classrooms, it is imperative that we return the Ten Commandments to center stage.
The Republican-elect confirmed.
And so they will be able So look at them and see what God says is good and what He says is evil
she added.
It is not about preaching a particular religion, but about showing what moral system we should all adhere to
said Mrs. Horton.
Since the House passed the first version, the bill has been amended to clarify that the posters could be funded by public donations, according to Axios.
Other measures signed into law Wednesday, for example, allow chaplains to be appointed to schools and prohibit teachers from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity.
The law that entered into force last year had already made the display of the US currency mandatory. We trust in God » (In God We Believe), in public school classrooms in Louisiana.
With reports from The Associated Press, The New York Times, Reuters, NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune and Axios
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