Louisiana public schools must now display the Ten Commandments in all classrooms, following a new law signed by Republican Governor Jeff Landry on Wednesday—who seemed to have no clue that in young girl in the crowd behind him fainted as he did so.
House Bill 71, passed by state lawmakers last month, requires a poster-size display of the Ten Commandments with "large, easily readable font" in every classroom at schools receiving state funding, from kindergarten through university level.
The legislation specifies the exact language to be printed on the classroom displays and mandates that the text of the Ten Commandments be the central focus of the poster or framed document.
The law mandates that a context statement accompany the commandments, presenting the text as "a prominent part of American public education" from the late 17th century through the late 20th century. Schools are required to use donated posters or funds rather than public money to acquire the displays.
Landry extolled the bill's virtues in the following statement delivered at the bill-signing ceremony:
“This bill mandates the display of the Ten Commandments in every classroom — public elementary, secondary and post-education schools — in the state of Louisiana, because if you want to respect the rule of law, you’ve got to start from the original lawgiver, which was Moses."
He then signed the bill as cameras captured the moment but he seemed completely unaware of the commotion behind him as a girl fainted and concerned adults gathered to assess her condition.
You can watch what happened in the video below.
Eagle-eyed social media users didn't miss the moment, however, and felt it was quite a telling moment.
Civil liberties groups quickly pledged to challenge the new law, which makes Louisiana the first state to mandate the display of the Ten Commandments in every classroom that receives state funding.
The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Louisiana, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom from Religion Foundation argued that the law violates longstanding Supreme Court precedent and the First Amendment, resulting in "unconstitutional religious coercion of students."
Last weekend, Landry pushed back against critics and said he "can’t wait to be sued.” He previously rejected a veto request from the Center for Inquiry, a nonprofit organization advocating for a secular society, that argued that becoming the first state to enforce such a requirement would be "a dishonorable distinction."
