Texas Can't Require Ten Commandments Be Posted in Schools, Judge Rules

A federal judge in San Antonio has temporarily barred some school districts in Texas from requiring public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments.

The Details: On Wednesday, US District Judge Fred Biery sided with 16 families fighting against a law that would have placed 16-by-20-inch posters of the Ten Commandments in easily readable letters in every public school classroom in Texas. The plaintiffs argued that the requirement violated the First Amendment's separation of church and state, as well as the right to freedom of religion. The recent ruling affects 11 districts while other legal challenges are working their way through the courts.

Key Quote: “Even though the Ten Commandments would not be affirmatively taught, the captive audience of students likely would have questions, which teachers would feel compelled to answer. That is what they do,” Biery wrote in the 55-page ruling.

For Context: The judge's ruling comes after Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) signed a bill in May mandating the display, and the law was set to take effect in September. Texas Republicans also tried to require schools to display the Ten Commandments in 2023. It is the largest state to attempt to require the display.

How The Media Covered It: Several sources on the right argued for the display, saying that the Ten Commandments are "part of the foundation of the United States," and noted that the Ten Commandments monument on Texas Capitol grounds has withstood legal scrutiny. They also argued that it is not a promotion of religion but rather a source of legal authority in America. Several sources on the left argued that the law would pressure students to accept state-favored scripture drawn from the King James Bible and was a violation of the separation of church and state.

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