By Jeff Devine, Dale County Chronicle
Governor Kay Ivey on Friday signed Senate Bill 99 into law, requiring certain public schools in Alabama to display the Ten Commandments along with information explaining their historical significance, provided the materials are funded through private donations.
The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Keith Kelley and Rep. Mark Gidley, does not allocate state funding for the displays, instead making their placement contingent on outside contributions.
In a statement released following the bill’s signing, Ivey said the measure is intended to reinforce students’ understanding of the nation’s historical foundations.
“In Alabama, we proudly remember that we live in one nation under God,” Ivey said. “The Ten Commandments, like the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights, are critical to understanding the founding of our country. Especially as we approach the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, it is of the utmost importance that Alabama’s children understand the history of this great country we call home. That absolutely includes a foundational document like the Ten Commandments.”
Ivey has previously voiced support for incorporating historical documents, including religious texts, into classroom settings. During her 2025 State of the State address, she remarked that “there is a place for the Ten Commandments and other key historical documents in our classrooms,” framing the issue as one of historical context rather than religious endorsement.
The new law comes amid ongoing legal debates nationwide over similar measures. Efforts in other states to require the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools have faced legal challenges, often centered on the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, which prohibits government endorsement of religion.
In Louisiana, lawmakers passed a similar requirement in 2024, making it the first state to enact such a mandate. While a federal district court initially blocked the law, a federal appeals court allowed it to move forward in early 2026, setting the stage for a potential review by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Texas and Arkansas have also pursued comparable laws, both of which have encountered legal hurdles. A federal judge temporarily blocked Texas’s law following lawsuits from parents, while Arkansas’s measure was halted after a court found it could compel students to engage with religious text.
Legal scholars note that previous rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court, including a 1980 decision striking down a similar Kentucky law, have established limits on religious displays in public school classrooms. However, supporters of newer laws hope that the court’s current conservative supermajority may revisit those precedents under a legal framework that emphasizes historical practices and traditions instead of promoting the Ten Commandments on religious and moral grounds.
Opponents of the law, including the ACLU and various groups of parents, have already promised a costly court battle to fight it, citing that the First Amendment prohibits the government from endorsing religion. Those in favor of the law, however, claim that using the Ten Commandments in a historical context avoids the appearance of endorsing one religion over others and is delivering on a promise after voters approved a 2018 state amendment to allow the display in public schools. Voters approved that amendment on November 6, 2018, with 71.65% (1,094,677 votes) in favor and 28.35% (433,133 votes) opposed.
