Federal Judge Blocks Texas Law Requiring Display of Ten Commandments in Classrooms
A federal judge in San Antonio has issued a temporary injunction blocking a new Texas law that would have required the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms. The judge ruled that the law did not specify how the commandments should be integrated into the curriculum, leading to concerns of coercion rather than exposure. The ruling comes just before the law was set to take effect, following a lawsuit filed by several families against 11 school districts in the San Antonio area. While the law affects millions of students, the injunction currently only applies to the districts involved in the lawsuit.
The law, known as Senate Bill 10 and signed by Gov. Greg Abbott, mandated that each classroom display a poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments. The lawsuit, filed by multiple families in July, argued that the law was unconstitutional, citing a previous ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals regarding a similar law in Louisiana. The case was heard in federal court in San Antonio, where Judge Fred Biery listened to testimony before issuing his ruling this week.
Judge Biery did not immediately rule on the case after the evidence was presented but ultimately decided to block the law. He mentioned during the proceedings that he anticipated the issue could eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court. The ruling is specific to the districts involved in the lawsuit, but the plaintiffs hope that other schools will follow suit. This is an ongoing story, and updates will be provided as more information becomes available.