Louisiana Gov. Says He 'Can't Wait To Be Sued' After Requiring All Public Classrooms To Post The Ten Commandments
The state of Louisiana has become the first to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in all public school classrooms.
The legislation was signed into law Wednesday by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, which requires a poster-sized display of the biblical Ten Commandments in "large, easily readable font" in classrooms ranging from kindergarten to state-funded universities, per 'CBS News.'
The move to post the visible document is the latest push on behalf of a GOP-dominated legislature under a new governor.
Opposers moved in swiftly, as the American Civil Liberties Union, Freedom from Religion Foundation, and Americans United for Separation of Church and State released a joint statement.
"The law violates the separation of church and state and is blatantly unconstitutional," the groups said in a statement, per 'MSNBC.' "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."
They continued: "Politicians have no business imposing their preferred religious doctrine on students and families in public schools."
The poster — set to be paid for by donations and not by state funds — will be paired with a "context statement" four paragraphs long, detailing that the Ten Commandments "were a prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries."
"If you want to respect the rule of law, you've got to start from the original law giver, which was Moses," Gov. Landry declared, per 'MSNBC.'
"I'm going home to sign a bill that places the Ten Commandments in public classrooms," Landry explained during a recent GOP fundraiser in Tennessee over the weekend. "I can't wait to be sued."
