KEY TAKEAWAYS: Ten Commandments posters are being displayed in Louisiana public school and college classrooms under a 2024 state law. All eight University of Louisiana System campuses and their satellite locations have received the required posters. The law moved forward after a federal appeal s court allowed it to take effect following legal challenges. Supporters cite the Ten Commandments’ historical significance, while opponents argue the requirement violates the separation of church and state.   Students in Louisiana public schools, colleges and universities are being greeted with posters featuring the Ten Commandments as they return to classrooms and lecture halls this summer. It’s the first full school year the Louisiana law passed in 2024 was allowed to take effect since a federal appeals court in February allowed it to move forward. University of Louisiana System President Rick Gallot told USA Today Network the posters were distributed to all eight campuses and their satellites from Louisiana Tech in the north to McNeese State in the southwest and all campuses in between. “Everything has been delivered and property installed,” Gallot said Aug. 18 as classes begin this week on most University of Louisiana system campuses. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, who signed Republican Haughton state Rep. Dodie Horton’s bill into law in 2024, celebrated the installation of the posters on social media Tuesday. “Great news to kick off the school year,” Landry posted on X. “If your kids don’t grow up reading the Ten Commandments, they’ll grow up reading the criminal code!” The law was delayed taking effect when parents and civil rights groups sued to overturn the law as a violation of the Constitution’s requirement for separation of church and state. “Public schools exist to educate, not indoctrinate,” the ACLU of Louisiana said in a statement in opposition to the law. “They must remain spaces where all children are safe, free, and respected — regardless of their family’s beliefs.” But those defending the document claim its historical significance is long established in American law and should be taught in schools as an educational tool that doesn’t infringe on students’ religious freedoms. The law had twice been blocked, including by a three-judge panel that ruled it “plainly unconstitutional,” before the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled in favor of the law early last year. “Don’t kill or steal shouldn’t be controversial,” Republican Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said then. “My office has issued clear guidance to our public schools on how to comply with the law, and we have created multiple examples of posters demonstrating how it can be applied constitutionally.” The law requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public classroom. “This law doesn’t push religion on anyone,” Horton said in an interview with USA Today Network. “It’s God’s moral standard for man. The court must look at its historical significance. Our forefathers didn’t intend to keep God out of government. You can’t separate the two.” Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1. This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Ten Commandments posted in Louisiana college lecture halls, classrooms Reporting by Greg Hilburn, Shreveport Times / Shreveport Times USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect ...read more read less