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Political science professors at conservative and Christian colleges are split over the constitutionality of a new Louisiana law that requires all public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom. The law already faces a legal challenge from several families as well as left-leaning and atheist activist groups while Christian and conservative Louisiana lawmakers applaud the law. Yet not everyone on the right is in lockstep. Political science professors at center-right colleges, many of whom specialize in teaching classes on the relationship between religion and politics, are divided on whether the new law passes muster with federal checks and balances established by the Founding Fathers as well as court precedent. Kevin Burns, a professor of political science at Benedictine College, thinks it does. “According to most originalists, the Establishment Clause simply prevents the government from establishing a state church; simply publicizing the Ten Commandments clearly does not meet that threshold,” Burns told The College Fix via email. He added the current Supreme Court has several recently appointed originalist justices. However, Mark Smith, director of the Center for Political Studies at Cedarville University, said he would view the law as unconstitutional based on Supreme Court precedent. He specifically referred […]