House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he supports Louisiana’s new law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms and said he thinks the law will survive legal challenges.
“I support that, yes,” Johnson told reporters on Wednesday. “And I think it should be approved in court. I think there are several states trying to do the same thing and I don’t think it’s offensive in any way. I think it’s a positive thing.”
Louisiana’s controversial law requires all public school classrooms in elementary and secondary schools to display the Ten Commandments on easy-to-read posters starting in 2025. The posters must also include three paragraphs about the religious text’s influential role in American history.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican in a deeply conservative and religious state, signed the bill into law last week after it passed through the GOP-controlled state legislature — where Johnson used to work.
Johnson speculated about his former colleagues’ incentives to pass the legislation.
“The intention behind this is that they try to recognize our history and tradition in the country. I mean, obviously, the Ten Commandments have a huge impact and are very important in the development of our… well, all of Western civilization, but certainly our country. And I think that’s what they had in mind,” Johnson said.
“What the Louisiana Legislature is trying to do — these are my old colleagues down there, I know what they’re doing — they’re trying to reemphasize the importance of this fundamental part of our country, and that should be allowed,” he added later. “It is not an establishment of religion. It is not. They are not trying to impose any specific religious code. They’re just saying this is part of history and tradition.”
The new law immediately sparked legal challenges.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), along with other civil liberties groups, filed a lawsuit on behalf of families from different religious backgrounds, arguing that the new law violates their First Amendment rights.
Johnson, however, noted that he used to litigate similar cases and said he hopes the case will eventually reach the Supreme Court, where he hopes the ACLU will ultimately fail.
He pointed to a similar case from the 1980s, Marsh v. Chambers, in which the court upheld the practice of beginning the legislative session with a legislative prayer, noting that it “is deeply rooted in the history and tradition of our country.”
“I think this Court is open to effectively affirming what the court did in the early 1980s with Marsh v. Chambers and other cases like it. So we’ll see how that happens. But yes, I support that,” Johnson said.
Johnson joins other conservatives in supporting the new law. Former President Trump also expressed his support for the mandate.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
