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Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry welcomed lawsuits against him as he signed legislation this week making it mandatory for public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom.
“I’m going home to sign a bill that places the Ten Commandments in public classrooms,” boasted Landry during a Republican fundraiser on Saturday. “And I can’t wait to be sued.”
Landry followed through with his promise, signing the bill on Wednesday and declaring, “If you want to respect the rule of law, you’ve got to start from the original law giver, which was Moses.”
While Christian conservatives celebrated the governor’s bill, others across the country were less enthusiastic.
“We’re suing Louisiana for requiring all public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom,” announced the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Wednesday. “Public schools are not Sunday schools.”
Lucien Greaves, the co-founder of the Satanic Temple, also protested Landry’s “completely unnecessary, unconstitutional bill devoid of any credible state interest.”
The bill even resulted in a brief social media spat between Landry and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“Louisiana has the worst crime rate in the nation – but this is their priority,” reacted Newsom.
Landry responded, “Unlike Gavin’s liberal hug-a-thug policies, we held a crime special session in just my first two months in office. And, maybe Gavin is unaware that the Lord says thou shall not kill, steal, or rape! By the way, the only reason California is not the worst is they quit reporting.”