Louisiana passes law to force classrooms to display The Ten Commandments

Louisiana has passed a law which forces all public classrooms to display The Ten Commandments.

The southern state has become the first in the country to introduce the policy under a bill signed into law by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry on Wednesday.

The GOP-drafted legislation mandates the display must be in 'large, easily readable font'  in all public classrooms, from kindergarten to state-funded universities.

Although the bill did not receive final approval from Landry, the time for gubernatorial action - to sign or veto the bill - has lapsed.

Opponents question the law's constitutionality, with the ACLU already announcing it has already filed a lawsuit against Louisiana.

'The law violates the separation of church and state and is blatantly unconstitutional,' the ACLU said in a statement.

'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.'

Proponents say the purpose of the measure is not solely religious, but that it has historical significance.

In the law´s language, the Ten Commandments are described as 'foundational documents of our state and national government.'

The displays, which will be paired with a four-paragraph 'context statement' describing how the Ten Commandments 'were a prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries,' must be in place in classrooms by the start of 2025.

The posters would be paid for through donations. State funds will not be used to implement the mandate, based on language in the legislation.

The law also 'authorizes' - but does not require - the display of the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence and the Northwest Ordinance in K-12 public schools.

Similar bills requiring the Ten Commandments be displayed in classrooms have been proposed in other states including Texas, Oklahoma and Utah.

However, threats of legal battles over the constitutionality of such measures have quashed attempts in other states.

Legal battles over the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms are not new.

In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a similar Kentucky law was unconstitutional and violated the establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution, which says Congress can 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion.' 

The high court found that the law had no secular purpose, but rather served a plainly religious purpose.

Louisiana´s controversial law, in a state ensconced in the Bible Belt, comes during a new era of conservative leadership in the state under Landry, who replaced two-term Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards in January.

The GOP also has a two-thirds supermajority in the Legislature, and Republicans hold every statewide elected position, paving the way for lawmakers to push through a conservative agenda during the legislative session that concluded earlier this month.