United States: Louisiana mandates “Ten Commandments” displayed in schools

Louisiana issued a mandate June 19 requiring public schools in the conservative southern U.S. state to display the “Ten Commandments” in all classrooms. The bill is a first that has reignited the debate on the separation of church and state.

Republican Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed a bill mandating the display in all state-funded public schools starting next year – from kindergarten to universities.

Displayed on Posters or in a Frame

“If you want to respect the rule of law, you’ve got to start from the original lawgiver, which was Moses,” he said during a signing ceremony.

The law stipulates that the Decalogue be displayed on posters or in a large frame with a readable font.

The American Civil Liberties Union immediately announced that it would take the matter to court. “The law violates the separation of church and state and is blatantly unconstitutional,” it said in a statement.

A first in the United States

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the establishment of a national religion or the preference of one religion over another.

Other conservative states in the “Bible Belt” of the southern United States have attempted to adopt similar measures, but this is the first time a state has enacted it into law.