Louisiana Governor Challenges Separation of Church and State
Submitted by MAGA
Posted 100 days ago
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signs Ten Commandments bill into law, invites legal challenge
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, a Republican, has signed a bill into law that requires all public schools and universities in the state to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms. The law, which was signed on Wednesday, makes Louisiana the first state in the US to mandate such a requirement.
The measure requires all schools to display the text of the Ten Commandments exactly as written in the bill, in a poster or framed document that is at least eleven inches by fourteen inches and in a large, easily readable font. It also requires a 200-word "context statement" arguing that the Ten Commandments were "a prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries" up until 50 years ago.
The law has already drawn criticism from civil rights groups, who argue that it violates the separation of church and state and is unconstitutional. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom from Religion Foundation have all expressed their opposition to the law and have indicated that they are preparing to sue the Landry administration.
In a statement, the ACLU and other civil rights groups said that the law "violates the separation of church and state and is blatantly unconstitutional." They added that "politicians have no business imposing their preferred religious doctrine on students and families in public schools."
Governor Landry, however, has welcomed the legal challenge. Speaking at a recent GOP fundraiser in Tennessee, he said, "I'm going home to sign a bill that places the Ten Commandments in public classrooms. I can't wait to be sued."
The move comes as conservative legal groups have been angling for another shot at reversing Supreme Court rulings protecting the separation of church and state. In 2005, the Supreme Court ruled that the public display of the Ten Commandments in two Kentucky county courthouses was unconstitutional.
The rush of state-level legislation follows the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling that loosened interpretations of the First Amendment's establishment clause to allow a high school football coach to pray with his team on the 50-yard line.
In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor warned that the Supreme Court "continues to dismantle the wall of separation between church and state that the Framers fought to build."
The law has also drawn criticism from a coalition of Christian leaders and churchgoers in Louisiana, who argue that the state "has no business choosing an official version of the Ten Commandments, especially one that strips the text of its theological context."
In a letter to Governor Landry last month, they wrote, "And the state certainly has no business mandating that this officially sanctioned version of the Ten Commandments be hung in every public school classroom, where teachers educate students who follow a broad array of Christian and non-Christian faith traditions."
The Independent has requested comment from Governor Landry's office.
Sources:
cbsnews.com
au.news.yahoo.com
nola.com
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, a Republican, has signed a bill into law that requires all public schools and universities in the state to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms. The law, which was signed on Wednesday, makes Louisiana the first state in the US to mandate such a requirement.
The measure requires all schools to display the text of the Ten Commandments exactly as written in the bill, in a poster or framed document that is at least eleven inches by fourteen inches and in a large, easily readable font. It also requires a 200-word "context statement" arguing that the Ten Commandments were "a prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries" up until 50 years ago.
The law has already drawn criticism from civil rights groups, who argue that it violates the separation of church and state and is unconstitutional. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom from Religion Foundation have all expressed their opposition to the law and have indicated that they are preparing to sue the Landry administration.
In a statement, the ACLU and other civil rights groups said that the law "violates the separation of church and state and is blatantly unconstitutional." They added that "politicians have no business imposing their preferred religious doctrine on students and families in public schools."
Governor Landry, however, has welcomed the legal challenge. Speaking at a recent GOP fundraiser in Tennessee, he said, "I'm going home to sign a bill that places the Ten Commandments in public classrooms. I can't wait to be sued."
The move comes as conservative legal groups have been angling for another shot at reversing Supreme Court rulings protecting the separation of church and state. In 2005, the Supreme Court ruled that the public display of the Ten Commandments in two Kentucky county courthouses was unconstitutional.
The rush of state-level legislation follows the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling that loosened interpretations of the First Amendment's establishment clause to allow a high school football coach to pray with his team on the 50-yard line.
In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor warned that the Supreme Court "continues to dismantle the wall of separation between church and state that the Framers fought to build."
The law has also drawn criticism from a coalition of Christian leaders and churchgoers in Louisiana, who argue that the state "has no business choosing an official version of the Ten Commandments, especially one that strips the text of its theological context."
In a letter to Governor Landry last month, they wrote, "And the state certainly has no business mandating that this officially sanctioned version of the Ten Commandments be hung in every public school classroom, where teachers educate students who follow a broad array of Christian and non-Christian faith traditions."
The Independent has requested comment from Governor Landry's office.
Sources:
cbsnews.com
au.news.yahoo.com
nola.com
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