Louisiana Officials Unveil Ten Commandments Posters Featuring Diverse Figures for State Classrooms

In a news conference held on Monday, Louisiana officials introduced several posters of the Ten Commandments that may soon be displayed in state classrooms. These posters showcased an interesting mix of individuals, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. While the posters presented at the conference are not the final options, they offer potential ways for schools to comply with the new law mandating the placement of a Ten Commandments poster in every public school classroom.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill stated that these posters aim to demonstrate how schools can adhere to the new legislation. One of the posters, titled "The House of Representatives and the Lawgivers," features the text of the Ten Commandments placed between an image of a stone carving of "Moses the Lawgiver" and a photograph of House Speaker Mike Johnson, who represents Louisiana. Another poster includes a picture of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, accompanied by a quote from her praising the Ten Commandments along with other significant historical documents like the Magna Carta, English Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence. This quote was taken from an editorial she wrote for her school paper at the age of 13, lauding the United Nations Charter.

Another intriguing poster, titled "Ten (Duel) Commandments," showcases an image of Moses next to Lin-Manuel Miranda, the renowned "Hamilton" playwright and actor, dressed in the role of founding father Alexander Hamilton. This poster refers to the song "Ten Duel Commandments" from the 2015 award-winning musical, which provides advice on how to engage in a duel, drawing inspiration from the Notorious B.I.G. rap song "Ten Crack Commandments" about drug dealing.

Additional potential posters include quotes from former Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. According to Murrill, all of these posters serve as examples of constitutional ways to implement the new law.

This news conference comes two months after Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed a requirement for every public school classroom in the state to display a poster featuring the text of the Ten Commandments. However, a group of Louisiana parents and civil rights organizations have filed a lawsuit to challenge the law's constitutionality. They argue that a state mandating a religious text in all classrooms violates the establishment clause of the US Constitution, which prohibits the government from establishing a religion.

In response to the lawsuit, Murrill stated that the state plans to file a brief seeking to dismiss the case on the grounds that no harm has been caused since the law is not yet in effect.

The Supreme Court has previously addressed the constitutionality of displaying the Ten Commandments in public spaces in several cases. One notable case is Stone v. Graham in 1980, where the court struck down a Kentucky law that required the posting of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. In 2005, the justices rendered 5-4 decisions allowing an exhibit on the Ten Commandments at the Texas Capitol while prohibiting similar displays at two Kentucky courthouses.

During the news conference, Governor Landry, a Republican, defended the Louisiana statute, stating that "majority rules" and underscoring that it does not favor any specific religion.

It remains to be seen how the lawsuit will progress and whether the Ten Commandments posters will ultimately find their place in Louisiana classrooms as a result of the newly enacted legislation.