Louisiana has sparked a national controversy with a new law that mandates the Ten Commandments be displayed in all public classrooms.
The law signed by the state’s Republican governor has been criticized by civil liberties groups, who argue that it violates students’ rights and blatantly ignores the separation of church and state.
The issue will soon head to court, with organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) saying they plan to sue the state, and Governor Jeff Landry promising to defend the law.
It is also showing signs of being intertwined in national political disputes, with former President Trump embracing the law in a position at Truth Social.
“I LOVE THE TEN COMMANDMENTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND IN MANY OTHER PLACES, THAT’S WHY. READ – HOW CAN WE, AS A NATION, MAKE WRONG???” Trump said.
“THIS COULD IN FACT BE THE FIRST BIG STEP IN THE REVIVAL OF RELIGION, WHICH IS DESPERATELY NEEDED IN OUR COUNTRY,” he added.
Bible posters in Louisiana classrooms must be in “large, easy-to-read font” by early next year. The exhibits will also include three paragraphs that explain the importance of the Ten Commandments in the history of American education.
“We are thrilled to see that Governor Landry signed this bill into law. We think this brings us closer to the original intent of our founding fathers,” said Matt Krause, attorney at First Liberty Institute.
Since the 1980s, Krause said, “the Ten Commandments were allowed on school walls. So we’ve lived through much more of our country’s history with the ability to do that than not. We feel like this is a good step to reintroduce, especially to our students, some of these founding principles of our country, and we think it’s a great thing.”
But the ACLU, its Louisiana branch, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State and the Religious Freedom Foundation announced immediately after the law was signed that they would go to court over the measure, which they say violates the First Amendment, creating an “unconstitutional religious coercion of students” and making students feel unwelcome if they are not Christians.
“It’s an excellent example of how Christian nationalism is on the march in this country. It would force public school children of all religions to read and worship the state’s preferred Christianity. This is a complete violation of church-state separation,” said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
The heart of the argument may lie in the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Lemon test in 2022. The standard first appeared in Lemon v. California. Kurtzman of 1971, when the justices ruled that the government could not provide funding to non-secular schools without violating the system. Clause.
In 1980, the high court accepted the case Stone v. Graham, where he ruled based on the Lemon test that a Kentucky law requiring the Ten Commandments in schools was unconstitutional.
But in Kennedy School District v. Bremerton 2022, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a football coach who was fired for praying after games. The school justified its decision by saying the coach was violating the Establishment Clause.
In the court’s ruling, the judges said: “[i]In place of Lemon and the endorsement test,” the justice system must now interpret the Establishment Clause by “reference to historical practices and understandings.”
Krause said that “it would be difficult to argue, for anyone to argue, that the Ten Commandments are not a traditional historical part of the American educational system, of American culture, and that’s why, in all likelihood, it will survive any kind of constitutional scrutiny.” .
“There is really no other document, religious or otherwise, that is ubiquitous in American history,” he said, pointing to references to the text in the Supreme Court and the Capitol, and adding that it will be good for Louisiana students to ask about the posters. in classrooms so that teachers have the “chance to go back to the story of America’s founding.”
But opponents of the law say the Founding Fathers were actually on their side.
“All of these sources make clear that the Establishment Clause was intended to prevent any type of religious coercion or preference by the government or government position taking on religious issues,” Laser said.
Other red states may soon try to follow in Louisiana’s footsteps. Neighboring Texas had previously considered imposing the Ten Commandments in public classrooms, but did not have time for its legislative session.
“Texas WOULD have and SHOULD have been the first state in the country to put the 10 Commandments back in our schools,” GOP Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Thursday.
“I will pass the 10 Commandments Bill again in the Senate next session,” Patrick added.
Laser pointed to other cases in Republican-led states where she says there is a troubling trend of religion mixing with taxpayer-funded schools, including chaplains replacing school counselors, coaches praying with students and the push for religious charter schools.
“We don’t need states that turn public schools into Sunday schools. We need a new national commitment to church-state separation. This is what protects the freedom of everyone to live as themselves and believe as they wish, as long as they do not harm others,” she added.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
