Louisiana Is Right about the Ten Commandments

Walk into any public school in America today, and you will find posters promoting kindness, friendship, and generosity. There are also likely to be signs celebrating Pride Month. Why not add to this visual feast a list of “rules to live by” that are embraced by billions of people around the world? They’re called the Ten Commandments.

Last week, Louisiana’s Republican governor Jeff Landry signed into law a mandate that public schools hang a poster in every classroom with the text of the Commandments, plus three paragraphs that explain their prominence in the history of American education. The usual suspects went ballistic. The ACLU, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom from Religious Foundation have sued. Slate’s Mark Stern and Dahlia Lithwick claim that the Louisiana law “couldn’t be anymore unconstitutional.” The New York Times reports that the move “signals a broader Christian agenda,” and MSNBC ran an opinion piece entitled: “Louisiana’s new mandate is the first step in a sinister vision for the country.”

About the Author

Andrea Picciotti-Bayer

Andrea Picciotti-Bayer is director of the Conscience Project and recipient of the Religious Freedom Institute’s 2025 Religious Freedom Impact Award.

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Walk into any public school in America today, and you will find posters promoting kindness, friendship, and generosity. There are also likely to be signs celebrating Pride Month. Why not add to this visual feast a list of “rules to live by” that are embraced by billions of people around the world? They’re called the Ten Commandments.

Last week, Louisiana’s Republican governor Jeff Landry signed into law a mandate that public schools hang a poster in every classroom with the text of the Commandments, plus three paragraphs that explain their prominence in the history of American education. The usual suspects went ballistic. The ACLU, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom from Religious Foundation have sued. Slate’s Mark Stern and Dahlia Lithwick claim that the Louisiana law “couldn’t be anymore unconstitutional.” The New York Times reports that the move “signals a broader Christian agenda,” and MSNBC ran an opinion piece entitled: “Louisiana’s new mandate is the first step in a sinister vision for the country.”