‘Perfect Example of What the First Amendment Prohibits’: Elie Honig Says New Ten Commandments Law ‘Flagrantly’ Violates Constitution

CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig called Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry’s Ten Commandments bill “flagrantly” unconstitutional on Wednesday, describing it as the “perfect example of what the First Amendment prohibits.”

Asked by CNN host Kaitlan Collins whether Landry’s bill requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom violated the First Amendment, Honig said:

Yes, flagrantly, in my view. If you wanted a perfect example of what the First Amendment prohibits, I think this is it. First Amendment says Congress – government – shall make no law respecting establishment of religion, meaning state entities can’t do things that endorse any particular religion or religiosity in general.

Honig noted that while it could be argued the Ten Commandments represent “themes that are consistent throughout civilized society,” with commandments such as “Thou Shall Not Kill” and “Thou Shall Not Steal,” other commandments were explicitly Abrahamic.

“There are some commandments that are inherently religious. ‘Observe the Sabbath day,’ ‘I’m the only god that you may worship.’ So it’s an inherently religious document,” he concluded. “I should add, this came up before in 1980, there was a case out of Kentucky, almost the exact same facts, and the Supreme Court said unconstitutional.”

Landry signed the bill on Wednesday after telling Republicans at a fundraiser he had no problem with being sued.

Shortly after Landry signed the bill, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) announced it would be suing the state of Louisiana.

Watch above via CNN.