Religion

Louisiana Becomes First State To Require Public Schools Display Ten Commandments

(Screen Capture/PBS NewsHour)

Louisiana is set to become the first state to mandate the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms under a bill signed into law by Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry on Wednesday, The Associated Press reported.

The bill, pushed by Republicans, will require that every public school classroom in the state, from kindergarten to college, put up a poster-sized copy of the Ten Commandments, according to the AP. No public funds will be used to fund the mandate as donations will pay for the posters.

“Interestingly, something we don’t discuss enough, our legal/justice system comes from the English system, but that system evolved from the courts of the Hebrews, from biblical times, from the times of Moses,” attorney Marina Medvin said on X, reacting to the news. “While there is an appearance of religious favoritism through the requirement of knowing the Ten Commandments, our entire social and legal system is based on these commandments.”

The posters are to be accompanied by a four-paragraph statement providing context outlining how the Ten Commandments “were a prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries,” according to the AP.

Louisiana now requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms.

Interestingly, something we don’t discuss enough, our legal/justice system comes from the English system, but that system evolved from the courts of the Hebrews, from biblical times, from… pic.twitter.com/z7GTsbjbyG

— Marina Medvin 🇺🇸 (@MarinaMedvin) June 19, 2024

Other states, like Texas and Utah, have considered mandating similar displays in classrooms, according to the AP. Amid threats of legal challenges, however, Louisiana is the only state so far to have taken action along those lines.

There is precedent for measures like these being successfully challenged in the courts, with a 1980 Supreme Court case finding that a similar law in Kentucky violated the establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution, the AP reported.

The mandate is set to begin in 2025, according to the AP

Featured image credit: (Screen Capture/PBS NewsHour)