Category: Ten commandments
Liberals rejoice after Clinton judge blocks Texas law requiring 10 Commandments in schools
Governor Greg Abbott (R) ratified legislation in June requiring all public-school classrooms in Texas to display the Ten Commandments.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick noted that “by placing the Ten Commandments in our classrooms, we are ensuring students receive the same foundational moral compass that guided our state and country’s forefathers.”
The prospect that children in the Lone Star State would be publicly reminded from Sept. 1 onward to honor their parents and not to lie, murder, steal, commit adultery, or worship false gods proved intolerable to a number of liberals and anti-religion activists who promptly filed legal challenges.
‘These rogue ISD officials and board members blatantly disregarded the will of Texas voters.’
Obliging one set of plaintiffs who alleged in a Sept. 22 lawsuit that the display of the historically significant moral code violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction on Tuesday that requires certain public school districts to remove displays of the Ten Commandments and further prohibits them from posting new displays.
Judge Orlando Garcia, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, claimed that the display of the Ten Commandments on the wall of a public-school classroom as set forth in Senate Bill 10 violates the Establishment Clause.
The Clinton judge noted further that while the plaintiffs in the case were a motley crew of parents — some are atheists, agnostic, Christians, Jews, Baha’i, and Hindu — “they share one thing in common: Plaintiffs do not wish their children to be pressured to observe, venerate, or adopt the religious doctrine contained in the Ten Commandments.”
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Garcia added that it was “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.”
The ruling applies to 14 school districts across the state.
The ACLU, which has defended classroom displays of LGBT symbols signifying liberals’ rejection of sexual morality, celebrated the ruling.
“A federal court has recognized that the Constitution bars public schools from forcing religious scripture on students,” said Daniel Mach, director of the ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion. “This decision is a victory for religious liberty and a reminder that government officials shouldn’t pay favorites with faith.”
Rachel Laser, president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, similarly celebrated the prohibition of the Ten Commandments in the classroom, stating, “Families throughout Texas and across the country get to decide how and when their children engage with religion — not politicians or public-school officials.”
While Laser insinuated that Texans did not sanction the introduction of the Ten Commandments into public-school classrooms, voters across the state elected those lawmakers who passed S.B. 10 this year in decisive votes in the Texas legislature. Moreover, Texans — 4,437,099 to be exact — also gave Abbott a clear mandate in 2022 to ratify such legislation.
“We’re extremely happy to have secured this victory for the plaintiff families we represent,” said Sam Grover, senior counsel at the Freedom from Religion Foundation. “The law is quite clear that pushing religion on students in public school is unconstitutional.”
Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has vowed to enforce the law, is appealing the decision, reported KLTV-TV.
On Tuesday, Paxton also announced that he was suing a pair of school districts for refusing to comply with S.B. 10.
“These rogue ISD officials and board members blatantly disregarded the will of Texas voters who expect the legal and moral heritage of our state to be displayed in accordance with the law,” said Paxton. “This lawsuit makes clear that no district may ignore Texas law without consequence.”
A panel of judges on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals claimed that a similar law passed by Louisiana Republicans was “plainly unconstitutional.” A hearing on the case by the full appeals court is scheduled for Jan. 20, 2026. The New York Times indicated that the court will also hear a challenge to Texas’ S.B. 10 in that hearing.
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AG Paxton sues Texas school district for refusing to display Ten Commandments in classrooms
A Houston-area school district is facing a lawsuit after refusing to display the Ten Commandments in its classrooms as ordered by a new state law.
Attorney General Paxton announced the lawsuit in a press release on Friday after the Galveston Independent School Board voted to delay displaying the posters until legal challenges were decided in court.
‘There is no valid legal basis to prevent Texas schools from honoring a foundational framework of our laws.’
“America is a Christian nation, and it is imperative that we display the very values and timeless truths that have historically guided the success of our country,” said Paxton. “By refusing to follow the law, Galveston ISD chose to both blatantly ignore the legislature and also ignore the legal and moral heritage of our nation.”
Paxton is asking a court for an injunction to force the district to comply with the law. The law was signed by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) earlier this year and went into effect on Sept. 1.
The law is being challenged by various lawsuits. It is expected to make its way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The school district released a statement saying its offices were closed Friday but that it would “evaluate” the statement from Paxton next week.
“We will closely monitor any possible litigation and consult with our legal counsel before making further decisions,” the district said. “In the meantime, our focus remains on elevating instruction, valuing a respectful culture, and promoting a safe environment for students and staff.”
RELATED: Leftists lose it after Louisiana becomes first state to require Ten Commandments in every classroom
Paxton precluded arguments based on the idea of separation of church and state.
“There is no valid legal basis to prevent Texas schools from honoring a foundational framework of our laws, especially under the misconception that a ‘separation of church and state’ phrase appears in the Constitution,” he wrote. “It does not.”
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