Why It Matters
Alabama public schools from fifth through twelfth grade would be required to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms and common areas under legislation passed by the state Senate. The bill, SB 99, places Alabama in the center of a national debate over the intersection of religious expression and public education, following a near-identical legal battle already underway in Louisiana. If signed into law, the measure would affect hundreds of thousands of students across the state and is widely expected to face immediate constitutional challenges in federal court.
What Happened
The Alabama Senate passed SB 99 on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, requiring every public school district in the state to post a poster of the Ten Commandments in fifth- through twelfth-grade classrooms, as well as in common areas such as cafeterias and school libraries. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Keith Kelley, R-Anniston.
Kelley argued the legislation is rooted in the historical and philosophical foundations of American law. “The bill ensures that students see the full contents of American development, including the moral and philosophical influences that shape our legal system,” Kelley said on the Senate floor. “Constitutional foundations are bound by this.”
The vote drew procedural controversy. Senate Republicans filed a cloture petition to limit debate before the vote, and Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth, the Republican presiding officer of the chamber, declined to recognize Democratic senators who sought to speak on the bill. Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, publicly objected, telling Ainsworth he had raised his hand to speak before being passed over. Ainsworth maintained the decision on who to recognize was his to make.
Under the bill’s provisions, school districts would not be required to use public funds to purchase the required posters. Instead, school boards would be permitted to accept private donations to cover the cost of the displays, effectively conditioning implementation on the availability of donated funds.
By the Numbers
- 27–6: The Senate vote margin by which SB 99 passed
- Grades 5–12: The range of grade levels affected by the mandatory display requirement
- 2018: The year Alabama voters approved a constitutional amendment permitting Ten Commandments displays on public property, though not mandating them
- 2024: The year Louisiana enacted a similar mandatory display law before a federal court blocked it
- $0 in public funds: The bill stipulates no taxpayer money may be spent on the posters; displays would be funded solely through donations
Zoom Out
Alabama’s legislation follows a pattern emerging in Republican-led state legislatures seeking to incorporate religious texts into public school environments. Louisiana passed a comparable law in 2024 requiring Ten Commandments displays in all classrooms statewide. A federal judge blocked that law in June 2024, ruling it violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits government endorsement of religion. That case is currently working its way through the federal court system.
Federal courts have historically drawn a distinction between displays of the Ten Commandments presented in a historical or educational context — which courts have sometimes permitted — and displays framed as religious or moral guidance, which courts have consistently struck down. The U.S. Supreme Court addressed this distinction in a pair of 2005 rulings, allowing a Ten Commandments monument on government grounds in Texas while striking down courthouse displays in Kentucky.
Alabama already has a constitutional provision, approved by voters in 2018, that allows Ten Commandments displays on public property. SB 99 moves beyond that permissive language to make such displays a legal requirement, a distinction that legal experts say significantly raises the constitutional stakes.
What’s Next
The bill now moves to the Alabama House of Representatives for consideration. If passed by the House, it would head to Gov. Kay Ivey for her signature. Legal advocacy organizations opposed to government-sponsored religious displays have signaled that legislation of this type is subject to immediate legal challenge upon enactment. Given the ongoing federal litigation in Louisiana over nearly identical statutory language, a court injunction blocking implementation before the law takes effect in Alabama schools is a likely scenario if the bill becomes law. The outcome of the Louisiana case in the appellate courts may also influence how federal courts in Alabama respond to any future challenge.