Federal Judge Blocks Texas Law Requiring “Ten Commandments” in Classrooms
A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction ordering dozens of Texas public school districts to remove displays of the Ten Commandments from classrooms by December 1, ruling that the state law requiring them violates the U.S. Constitution’s Establishment Clause.
The law in question—Texas Senate Bill 10 (S.B. 10), passed in May 2025 and signed by Greg Abbott—would have mandated that all public school classrooms display the Ten Commandments.
In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Orlando L. Garcia wrote that “displaying the Ten Commandments on the wall of a public-school classroom … violates the Establishment Clause.”
Why it Matters
While the law is local to Texas, its implications stretch far beyond. If the largest red-state is blocked from mandating a religious display in public schools, it signals that church-state separation issues remain live in America’s education system—even as conservative courts revisit religious expression in public life.
Working-class families are among the most affected: the decision involves how public schools communicate values, how children of diverse faiths (or no faith) experience the classroom, and who gets the final say about religious messaging in public education.
What Happens Next
School districts named in the order—including those in Fort Worth, McKinney, Frisco, Rockwall and Northwest Texas—must remove the displays by December 1.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has already appealed and filed suit against districts that resisted the law.
The case may head to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and potentially the U.S. Supreme Court—making it a national test case for religion in schools.
For more stories on education, religious freedom, and working-class impact across America, follow The Coffman Chronicle.