Louisiana Governor Signed Law Requiring Public Schools to Display Ten Commandments in Classrooms

LOUISIANA— On Wednesday, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry (R) signed a controversial bill into law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom.

“If you want to respect the rule of law, you’ve got to start from the original lawgiver, which was Moses,” Landry stated, evoking biblical references, while signing the bill.

The law will likely invite lawsuits from civil liberties advocates, many of whom have already voiced their opposition to it— including the ACLU, which recently announced plans to file a suit.

This is one of many conservative bills the governor has rallied behind since taking office earlier this year. He also recently backed and signed a law mandating 17-year olds to be tried as adults—essentially eliminating parole opportunities for most offenses.

Landry also signed a bill into law allowing the use of nitrogen gas for capital punishment, and a bill adding two common abortion medications, mifepristone and misoprostol, to the state’s list of controlled dangerous substances.

Thanks to another Landry law, next month Louisiana residents 18 and older will be allowed to conceal and carry handguns without obtaining a permit.

Landry, who is a Republican, is in the unique position to push a conservative agenda in the state while Republicans currently have a supermajority in the House and Senate.

Regarding the Ten Commandments law, Landry insisted, “I mean, look, this country was founded on Judeo Christian principles and every time we steer away from that, we have problems in our nation.”

What do you think of what’s happening in Louisiana?