Former President Donald Trump has expressed his support for displaying the Ten Commandments in schools after Louisiana’s Republican governor signed new legislation requiring the state’s public schools to have them in all classrooms. Trump took to his social media website, Truth Social, to share his views, stating, “I LOVE THE TEN COMMANDMENTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, PRIVATE SCHOOLS, AND MANY OTHER PLACES, FOR THAT MATTER. READ IT — HOW CAN WE, AS A NATION, GO WRONG???” He continued by saying, “THIS MAY BE, IN FACT, THE FIRST MAJOR STEP IN THE REVIVAL OF RELIGION, WHICH IS DESPERATELY NEEDED, IN OUR COUNTRY. BRING BACK TTC!!! MAGA2024.”
Trump’s remarks come as he gears up to address a gathering of Christian conservative voters in Washington, DC, with a focus on courting religious voters ahead of the upcoming election. The new law signed by Gov. Jeff Landry mandates that a poster-size display of the Ten Commandments be present in every classroom of schools that receive state funding, making Louisiana the first state to require such a display. However, civil liberties groups have raised concerns about the law, arguing that it is unconstitutional and violates Supreme Court precedent.
Several organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom from Religion Foundation, have announced plans to challenge the law through a lawsuit. Supporters of the mandate, on the other hand, point to a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision that emphasized religious expression in public spaces.
Legal experts have predicted that the recent ruling in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District could lead to more religious expression in public spaces following the reinstatement of a high school football coach who was disciplined over a prayer-related controversy. The decision highlighted the coach’s prayers as protected speech under the First Amendment, potentially altering the boundary between church and state. CNN’s Stephanie Gallman and Dianne Gallagher contributed to this report.
