A federal judge has once again halted Texas’ attempt to mandate the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms, dealing yet another blow to Republican lawmakers and Attorney General Ken Paxton’s aggressive push to inject overt religious messaging into the state’s education system.
What to Know…
A federal judge has again blocked Texas’ SB 10, ruling that requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments violates the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause.
Multiple school districts across North Texas must remove the posters by December 1, marking the second major legal defeat for the law and expanding the number of schools protected by injunctions.
Attorney General Ken Paxton continues to escalate enforcement efforts, suing additional ISDs even as courts repeatedly rule the mandate unconstitutional.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Orlando L. Garcia of the Western District of Texas issued a temporary injunction blocking enforcement of Senate Bill 10, the controversial law that required every Texas classroom to display a poster of the Ten Commandments. Garcia ruled that the mandate is a clear violation of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, which prohibits the government from endorsing or imposing religious doctrine.
This marks the second time in just a few months that a federal court has found SB 10 unconstitutional.
‘The Government Has No Business Interfering With Matters of Faith’
The lawsuit, filed by a coalition of multifaith and nonreligious families, argued that forcing public schools to display a religious document crosses the constitutional line separating church and state. One of the plaintiffs, Lenee Bien-Willner, a Jewish parent, celebrated the ruling.
“I am relieved that as a result of today’s ruling, my children… will no longer be continually subjected to religious displays,” Bien-Willner said. “The government has no business interfering with parental decisions about matters of faith.”
Under Garcia’s order, the 14 school districts named in the lawsuit, many located in North Texas, must remove all Ten Commandments posters by December 1. This includes major districts such as Fort Worth ISD, Arlington ISD, McKinney ISD, Frisco ISD, Northwest ISD, Azle ISD, Rockwall ISD, Lovejoy ISD, and Mansfield ISD.
Though Dallas ISD was not targeted in any of the lawsuits, other districts had already devoted substantial resources to the mandate: Frisco ISD alone installed nearly 5,000 posters across 77 campuses, spending approximately $1,800.
In his opinion, Garcia noted that allowing SB 10 to remain in force would make it “impractical, if not impossible” to protect families from unwelcome religious displays.
A Pattern of Legal Defeats for SB 10
This ruling follows a similar decision in August, when U.S. District Judge Fred Biery blocked 11 other school districts, including Plano ISD, from enforcing the law. Biery criticized SB 10 for interfering with children’s religious upbringing and sending a divisive message in diverse school environments.
Together, the twin rulings effectively block the Ten Commandments mandate in a significant portion of Texas schools, though the law technically remains in effect in districts not covered by the injunctions.
Civil liberties groups, including Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the ACLU, the ACLU of Texas, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, represent the families challenging the statute.
Paxton Escalates, Despite Court Losses
Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has framed SB 10 as part of a broader effort to enforce what he calls Texas’ “legal and moral heritage,” responded to the ruling not with retreat but escalation.
In fact, on the same day Garcia issued his injunction, Paxton announced new lawsuits against Round Rock ISD and Leander ISD for failing to display the mandated posters. Earlier this month, he sued Galveston ISD for the same reason.
Paxton blasted the districts as “rogue” entities “defying the will of Texas voters.”
The attorney general’s office has rejected claims that SB 10 coerces religious practice, arguing in court filings that the Ten Commandments are merely a “passive display.” Assistant Attorney General William Farrell emphasized in a July motion that the law doesn’t require teachers to read or discuss the document — only to post it, and only if the posters are donated.
Still, legal experts note that the Supreme Court has long viewed school-based displays of religious texts—especially the Ten Commandments—as inherently coercive to children, who are impressionable and subject to compulsory attendance.
Supporters Look to History while Courts Look to the Constitution
Supporters of SB 10 claim the measure honors America’s Christian heritage, pointing to references to God on U.S. currency or in state and national pledges. Republican lawmakers have repeatedly argued that exposing students to the Ten Commandments would instill moral values such as respect, honesty, and responsibility.
But courts — including the U.S. Supreme Court in Stone v. Graham (1980) — have long held that state-mandated Ten Commandments displays in schools violate the First Amendment.
Garcia’s ruling affirms that precedent.
Paxton has already appealed the earlier August ruling and is expected to appeal this one as well, though he has not yet responded to requests for comment. If he follows his usual pattern, the lawsuit will likely escalate to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals — and potentially, given the stakes and national implications, to the U.S. Supreme Court.
For now, however, thousands of classrooms across Texas must remove the posters by the court-ordered deadline.
And for the families who brought the case, the decision is not just a legal victory but a reassertion of a foundational American principle: that public schools belong to students of all faiths — including those with none at all.