The American Civil Liberties Union is suing Louisiana over a law requiring that all public classrooms display the Ten Commandments.
Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed legislation Wednesday requiring a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in "large, easily readable font" in all public classrooms, from kindergarten to state-funded universities.
"I can't wait to be sued," he said after signing HB 71.
"The law violates the separation of church and state and is blatantly unconstitutional," the ACLU, ACLU of Louisiana, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom from Religion Foundation 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.
"Louisiana's communities and public schools are religiously diverse, yet HB 71 would require school officials to promote specific religious beliefs to which people of many faiths, and those of no faith, do not subscribe."
Under the law, state funds will not be used to implement the mandate. The posters would be paid for through donations.
The law also "authorizes" but does not require the display of other items in K-12 public schools, including: The Mayflower Compact, which was signed by religious pilgrims aboard the Mayflower in 1620 and is often referred to as America's "First Constitution"; the Declaration of Independence; and the Northwest Ordinance, which established a government in the Northwest Territory — in the present-day Midwest — and created a pathway for admitting new states to the union.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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