Louisiana has become the first US state to order that every public school classroom up to university level must display a poster of the Ten Commandments.
The Republican-backed measure signed into law on Wednesday describes the commandments as the foundational documents of the state and national government.
The law is expected to be challenged by civil rights groups, which argue that it contravenes the separation between church and state enshrined in the first amendment to the US Constitution, the so-called Establishment Clause.
The state law requires that a poster include the sacred text in large, easily readable font on a poster that is 11 inches by 14 inches and that the commandments are the central focus of the display.
It will also be shown alongside a four-paragraph context statement which will describe how the commandments were a prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries.
The posters must be on display in all classrooms receiving state funding by 2025 - but no state funding is being offered to pay for the posters themselves.
Similar laws have recently been proposed by other Republican-led states, including Texas, Oklahoma and Utah.
There have been numerous legal battles over the display of the Ten Commandments in public buildings, including schools, courthouses and police stations.
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