A federal judge has temporarily blocked Texas from enforcing a controversial law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom, ordering several districts to remove the posters by December 1.
District Judge Orlando L. Garcia issued the preliminary injunction after determining the mandate violates the Establishment Clause, siding with 15 multifaith and nonreligious families who argued that the law forces students to confront unwanted religious messages.
In his ruling, Garcia wrote, “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.”
The injunction marks the second major legal setback for the measure. Another Texas judge ruled in August that the state cannot compel certain districts to post the displays, further complicating the rollout of the law championed by state lawmakers.
Civil liberties groups celebrated the decision. Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, urged districts statewide to comply, saying, “All Texas public school districts should heed the court’s clear warning: It’s plainly unconstitutional to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms. Families throughout Texas and across the country get to decide how and when their children engage with religion — not politicians or public-school officials.”
Texas is not alone in pushing such mandates. Arkansas and Louisiana have passed similar laws, both of which have faced legal challenges or rebukes from the courts on constitutional grounds.
With multiple states testing the boundaries of religious expression in public schools, many observers believe the issue may ultimately reach the Supreme Court, where the legal landscape around religion and government has been shifting.
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