Judge blocks Texas law, orders schools to remove Ten Commandments displays
A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction on Tuesday requiring certain public school districts in Texas to remove Ten Commandments displays by Dec. 1. The districts would also be prohibited from posting new displays, according to the federal injunction.
Fort Worth, McKinney, Frisco, Northwest, Rockwall and Mansfield school districts are among the impacted districts.
In September, a group of Texas families, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), sued to stop public school districts from displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms, claiming it violates religious freedom and the separation of church and state.
Federal judge previously blocked law
The September suit came a month after a federal judge temporarily blocked the law in a separate case involving Plano ISD. That ruling found the law "crosses the line from exposure to coercion" and favors Christianity over other faiths.
Judge orders Texas schools to remove Ten Commandments displays after second lawsuit
U.S. District Judge Orlando L. Garcia wrote on Tuesday that "displaying the Ten Commandments on the wall of a public-school classroom as set forth in S.B. 10 violates the Establishment Clause."
Texas SB 10 is a 2025 law that requires public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom. It was passed over the summer.
"It is impractical, if not impossible, to prevent Plaintiffs from being subjected to unwelcome religious displays without enjoining Defendants from enforcing S.B. 10 across their districts," Garcia wrote.
"Once again, a federal court has recognized that the Constitution bars public schools from forcing religious scripture on students," said Daniel Mach, the director of the ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief. "This decision is a victory for religious liberty and a reminder that government officials shouldn't pay favorites with faith."
Rep. Candy Noble, R-Lucas, who carried the bill in the House, previously said, "Nothing is more deep-rooted in the fabric of our American tradition of education than the Ten Commandments. The way we treat others as a society comes from the principles found in the Ten Commandments."
After Garcia's order was issued, the organizations representing the families in both lawsuits sent letters to all Texas school districts urging them not to implement the law, according to the ACLU.
Meanwhile, the Texas Attorney General says he's filed lawsuits against Round Rock ISD and Leander ISD for refusing to display the Ten Commandments in the classroom.
