Chaos at Louisiana Ten Commandments Law signing ceremony as schoolgirl passes out behind Gov. Jeff Landry

The Governor of Louisiana was undeterred in signing a Ten Commandments measure into law - not even noticing as a schoolgirl passed out behind him during the ceremony this week.

It came as Republican Gov. Jeff Landry praised the legislation mandating the biblical rules be displayed in every classroom throughout the state, noting that 'if you want to respect the rule of law, you've got to start from the original lawgiver.' 

As he spoke Thursday, a schoolgirl appeared to stare blankly at the ceiling, before collapsing and falling to the floor. 

Landry continued speaking on the controversial bill while adults and children gathered around the child, telling the audience that Moses 'got his commandments from God, and he then gave them to us.' 

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry commended a new law mandating the Ten Commandments be shown in classrooms throughout the state moments before a schoolgirl collapsed behind him 

Landry continued praising the controversial bill while adults and schoolchildren swarmed the collapsed girl behind him 

Footage of the moment quickly circulated across social media, with some taking the opportunity to show their distaste at the law. 

MSNBC host Katie Phang commented that Landry was sat 'with a self-satisfied smug look, while a young child passes out behind him.'  

'Nobody caring about the child fainting in the background and just carrying on is a perfect representation of this country,' added another commenter, with a third feeling that 'the child passing out is a bad omen.' 

Critics of the legislation have argued that it is a clear violation of the constitution's provisions on separating church and state. 

The law signed in by Landry mandates that the Ten Commandments are displayed across the state's classrooms starting in 2025, in 'large, easily readable font.' 

Posters are set to be put up in classrooms from kindergarten all the way through to state-funded universities, and will also include a 'context statement' explaining the Ten Commandments 'were a prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries.' 

The southern state has become the first in the country to introduce the policy under a bill signed into law by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry (pictured) 

Louisiana became the first state in the nation to pass the Ten Commandments law, although some argue that it is likely to be challenged in courts now it has been signed. 

The ACLU has already announced that it is filing a lawsuit against Louisiana, saying in a statement that 'the law violates the separation of church and state and is blatantly unconstitutional.' 

'The First Amendment promises that we all get to decide for ourselves what religious beliefs, if any, to hold and practice, without pressure from the government.

'Politicians have no business imposing their preferred religious doctrine on students and families in public schools.'

The posters would be paid for through donations. State funds will not be used to implement the mandate, based on language in the legislation.

The law also 'authorizes' - but does not require - the display of the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence and the Northwest Ordinance in K-12 public schools.

Louisiana's law forces all classrooms to display the Ten Commandments. Pictured: Workers repaint a Ten Commandments billboard off of Interstate 71 on Election Day near Chenoweth, Ohio, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023

Similar bills requiring the Ten Commandments be displayed in classrooms have been proposed in other states including Texas, Oklahoma and Utah.

However, threats of legal battles over the constitutionality of such measures have quashed attempts in other states. 

In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a similar Kentucky law was unconstitutional and violated the establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution, which says Congress can 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion.'

After he finished signing bills, Landry and his wife, Sharon, reportedly visited with the girl to check on her, her parents told the local Acadiana Advocate, and gave her an official governor's pen and a stuffed alligator.

"It was definitely comforting that he went and checked on her like that," her mom told the outlet.

The high court found that the law had no secular purpose, but rather served a plainly religious purpose.

Louisiana´s controversial law, in a state ensconced in the Bible Belt, comes during a new era of conservative leadership in the state under Landry, who replaced two-term Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards in January.

The GOP also has a two-thirds supermajority in the Legislature, and Republicans hold every statewide elected position, paving the way for lawmakers to push through a conservative agenda during the legislative session that concluded earlier this month.