Montana lawmakers offer mixed responses to Louisiana law requiring Ten Commandments in schools

Montana’s Republican congressional delegation hesitated last week to follow Louisiana in requiring public schools to affix the Ten Commandments in classrooms even as former President Donald Trump praised the move.  

“Has anyone read the ‘Thou shalt not steal’? I mean, has anybody read this incredible stuff? It’s just incredible,” said Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, at the gathering of the Faith & Freedom Coalition earlier this month. “They don’t want it to go up. It’s a crazy world.’’ 

His remarks came after Louisiana became the first state to mandate the Ten Commandments be displayed in every state-funded classroom starting in January 2025.  The law requires a poster sized display with large, easily readable font, according to the bill language, in all public classrooms, from kindergarten to state-funded colleges. 

Civil liberties groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, immediately questioned the law’s constitutionality. The ACLU filed a lawsuit challenging it last week. 

Despite Trump’s endorsement of the law, U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke opted against weighing in on the proposal. A spokesperson for the Trump-backed Republican congressman said that Zinke was unaware of the new Louisiana law.  

“The congressman does not follow the issues before the Louisiana state Legislature,” said Heather Swift. 

U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale, also a Republican, did not respond to requests for comment. 

Republican Sen. Steve Daines also shied away from endorsing Louisiana’s effort, saying that decisions about public schools are best left to parents and local leaders. His Democratic counterpart, Sen. Jon Tester, took a similar position.  

But Tim Sheehy, Tester’s Republican challenger, embraced the Louisiana law.  

"There is nothing wrong with having faith, family and patriotism in our schools, homes and communities. We should be teaching our kids about how blessed we are as a nation, and how to think, not what to think,” Sheehy said in a statement. 

Faith is welcome in schools, homes and communities, according to Sheehy. 

“We shouldn’t be indoctrinating them with a woke liberal agenda backed by [President Joe] Biden and Tester that pushes critical race theory, tells our boys they can be girls and girls they can be boys, and teaches our kids to hate America – that’s the real problem here," he said.

REPUBLICAN STATE Lawmakers from the Flathead Valley saw Louisiana’s decision as uncontroversial. 

“Our U.S. Supreme court building depicts Moses and the Ten Commandments. Whatever society you live in, wouldn’t you want it to strive to diminish murder, theft, lying and false witness?” asked House Speaker Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, in a statement. 

Regier, who is running for state Senate in November, argued the commandments have positive messages: promoting honesty, and law and order.  

Sen. John Fuller, a Flathead Valley Republican, said that the Ten Commandments are the original source for human moralities. 

“As an old history teacher, if you don’t talk about the Ten Commandments, you are negligent in your teaching of western law,” Fuller said. 

Lukas Schubert, the GOP candidate for House District 8 who emphasized his Christian faith in the primary, described Louisiana’s decision as a “great step in the right direction.” 

“Our country is turning away from God, if we don’t reverse course then God will turn away from our country,” he said. 

Other local legislators stressed the importance of the separation of church and state. 

Rep. Courtenay Sprunger, R-Kalispell, said the Constitution allows Americans the freedom to explore and express their faith without fear of government reprisal. While she believes that placing the Ten Commandments in public buildings has merit given their historical significance, she is wary of intermingling Christianity and government. 

“As a Christian, I encourage caution; history has demonstrated repeatedly that involving the government in Christianity is a surefire way to dilute it,” Sprunger said in a statement.  

Monica Tranel, the Democrat challenging Zinke, referred to the separation of church and state as a “foundational tenet of American freedom and a bedrock principle of our Constitution.”  

Ryan Busse, the Democrat challenging current Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte, also erred on the side of caution.  

“I respect religion, I respect the commandments, but I really respect our Constitution,” Busse said this week, stating that the separation of church and state is foundational to our government. 

“I grew up a Lutheran kid, so the Ten Commandments are something I grew up with and they definitely have a place in people’s lives,” Busse said. “But they do not have a place [in schools].”  

A spokesperson for Gianforte said the question of whether Montana should follow Louisiana's path was up to the Legislature.

"This would be a matter for the legislature to consider in the 2025 legislative session, and the governor will carefully consider any bill that makes it to his desk," said Kaitlin Price. 

Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.