After Louisiana became the first state to require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms, far-left groups have promised to challenge the law.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) announced that it, and other groups, plan to file a lawsuit against the state.
“We are preparing a lawsuit to challenge H.B. 71. The law violates the separation of church and state and is blatantly unconstitutional,” the ACLU wrote. “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. Politicians have no business imposing their preferred religious doctrine on students and families in public schools.”
“The government should not be taking sides in this theological debate, and it certainly should not be coercing students to submit day in and day out to unavoidable promotions of religious doctrine,” the statement added.
The group asserted that the law interferes with students’ ability to “feel safe and welcome” in public schools.
“We will not allow Louisiana lawmakers to undermine these religious-freedom rights,” they wrote.
In a statement on X, the ACLU declared, “We’re suing Louisiana for requiring all public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom,” adding, “Public schools are not Sunday schools.”
According to the bill, each public school in the state of Louisiana is to display the Ten Commandments by January 1, 2025.
“The nature of the display shall be determined by each governing authority with a minimum requirement that the Ten Commandments shall be displayed on a poster or framed document that is at least eleven inches by fourteen inches,” the legislation reads. “The text of the Ten Commandments shall be the central focus of the poster or framed document and shall be printed in a large, easily readable font.”
A “context statement” for “The History of the Ten Commandments in American Public Education Commandments” is also to be displayed in classrooms.
The statement reads as follows: “The Ten Commandments were a prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries. Around the year 1688, The New England Primer became the first published American textbook and was the equivalent of a first grade reader. The New England Primer was used in public schools throughout the United States for more than one hundred fifty years to teach Americans to read and contained more than forty questions about the Ten Commandments.”
It adds that the Ten Commandments were included in textbooks published by Noah Webster, which were “widely used in American public schools along with 20 America’s first comprehensive dictionary that Webster also published.”
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry (R) said in a statement accompanying the passage of numerous education bills, including HB 71, that “common sense” will be brought back into classrooms.
“Today, we fulfilled our promise to bring drastic reform to our education system and bring common sense back to our classrooms. A strong education system leads to a strong economy and a strong state,” Landry said upon the bills’ passage. “Our historic Dream Big Package puts the focus back on our kids, and allows Louisiana to follow in the footsteps of our neighbors in the South. I am thankful to the legislature for their commitment to making the education system in Louisiana one that students, parents, and teachers can all be proud of.”
