Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall on Monday pushed back on a recent report by the Associated Press that asserted the state’s new law allowing “In God We Trust” to be displayed in public schools is “expected” to face legal challenges.

In March, the state legislature approved a bill that took effect June 1 allowing such displays on public property, giving Alabama schools the right to exhibit the national motto.

However, critics are speaking out against the move, calling it “a constant push for theocracy,” as media outlets like AL.com and the Asssociated Press validate their outcry.

In a statement, Marshall challenged their assertions and strongly backed the law.

“We don’t anticipate any lawsuits over this issue,” he told Yellowhammer News.

Marshall continued, “‘In God We Trust’ is the official national motto, adopted by an Act of Congress and displayed on the nation’s currency as well as in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives. A lawsuit against a school displaying the national motto would be laughed out of court.”

Alabama’s attorney general also called out critics for not being focused on the real challenges facing public schools.

“Frankly, in a time when schools are increasingly the targets of violence, it is hard to understand how one could argue that a renewed emphasis on our nation’s religious heritage through the display of ‘In God We Trust’ or the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance could be detrimental to our students,” Marshall added.

The legislation’s sponsor, state Rep. David Standridge (R-Hayden), recently decried the controversy that outside groups and the media have made out of the law.

This article talks about the “In God We Trust” Act that I had the honor to sponsor. Political correctness has gone too far if our schools are afraid to display our national motto. https://t.co/u2N54iaJUX

— Rep David Standridge (@JudgeStandridge) August 10, 2018

Alabama will also decide in November whether the state’s 117-year-old constitution should be changed to allow public schools to display the Ten Commandments when voters have a referendum on Amendment One on the general election ballot.

“My hope is they have the Ten Commandments in the schools all over the state of Alabama as well as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the historical documents that go with this country,” said Dean Young, chairman of the Ten Commandments political action committee, which is pushing the amendment.

He added, “That way, children will be able to see and ask, ‘What are these documents’ and a teacher can say, ‘Those are the Ten Commandments and they come from God and this is what they say.’”

The critics claim the national political climate, including the leadership of President Donald Trump, is fueling renewed efforts to incorporate Christianity into the public realm.

“It’s a tsunami of Christian national laws in our country right now,” said Annie Laurie Gaylord, co-president of the Freedom from Religion Foundation, per the Associated Press.

“The upcoming election will say a lot about the direction of our nation,” she added.

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn