House Speaker Mike Johnson Backs Louisiana’s Controversial 10 Commandments Display Mandate

In a decision that has ignited fierce debates, Louisiana has enacted a new law that requires public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments. This law has sparked legal discourse and drawn both support and criticism from political figures.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a former Louisiana state legislator, has voiced his approval of the law. “The intent behind it is that they’re trying to acknowledge our history and tradition in the country,” he said. “The Ten Commandments have a huge impact, and they’re very important in the development of our — well, of all of Western civilization, but certainly of our country.”

The controversial law, signed by Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R), requires every public school classroom in the state to display the Ten Commandments on easily readable posters, set to begin in 2025. The posters must also include three paragraphs that highlight the religious text’s influential role in American history.

Johnson, who formerly litigated similar cases, believes the law will withstand legal challenges and has drawn parallels to the Supreme Court’s 1980s decision in Marsh v. Chambers, which upheld the practice of starting legislative sessions with a prayer.

“I think this Court is open to effectively affirming what the court did in the early ’80s, with Marsh v. Chambers and other cases like that,” Johnson said confidently in the law’s ability to pass judicial scrutiny.

Johnson recently came under fire from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia), who claims that the opposition is “owned” by him. 

The new mandate has already faced legal action from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other civil liberties groups, who have filed a lawsuit for families from different religious backgrounds. The plaintiffs argue that the law violates their First Amendment rights.