Federal Judge Halts Texas Law Mandating Ten Commandments in Classrooms
Federal Judge Halts Texas Law Mandating Ten Commandments in Classrooms
A federal judge has issued a temporary ruling blocking a new Texas law that would require public schools in select districts, including Houston and Austin, to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom. The preliminary injunction, handed down by U.S. District Judge Fred Biery, comes just ahead of the law’s scheduled implementation on September 1, 2025.
The ruling is a significant victory for families, including Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Unitarian Universalist, and nonreligious plaintiffs, who argued the mandate violates the First Amendment’s protections for the separation of church and state and the right to free religious exercise. Judge Biery’s decision prohibits 11 specific school districts and their affiliates from posting the religious displays.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has vowed to appeal the ruling, calling it “flawed” and asserting that the Ten Commandments are a “cornerstone of our moral and legal heritage.” However, civil liberties groups, including the ACLU of Texas, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom from Religion Foundation, lauded the decision, emphasizing that public schools are for education, not evangelization.
This legal battle is part of a wider national debate, with Texas being the third state where courts have blocked similar laws. Federal appeals courts have previously halted comparable mandates in Louisiana, and a judge in Arkansas issued a similar injunction. The ongoing legal challenge in Texas is widely expected to eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court.
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