The Louisiana Senate drafted a resolution to commend a former state senator for pushing creationism into public school curriculums throughout his career.
Introduced in the Louisiana Senate on March 20, Senate Resolution 33, would honor former state senator Bill Keith “on his support and endorsement of teaching creationism in public schools.”
As a state senator, Keith sponsored Louisiana’s Balanced Treatment for Creation-Science and Evolution-Science Act in 1981. The U.S. Supreme Court in 1987’s Edwards v. Aguillard deemed it unconstitutional in a 7-2 ruling, noting that the law was in violation of the First Amendment because it endorsed a specific religious belief and lacked a clear secular purpose.
Although it cannot be enforced, the law has remained on the books in Louisiana, despite efforts to officially repeal it. Most recently, in 2016, Sen. Dan Claitor (R-Baton Rouge) attempted to repeal the unconstitutional law, urging his colleagues to uphold the state’s constitution.
“I’m not asking you to give up your belief in God. I’m not asking you to get in bed with the devil. I’m just asking you to uphold your oath,” Claitor told his colleagues, according to the Associated Press.
