Classrooms across Texas will not be required to display the Ten Commandments this fall, after a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking a controversial new law just weeks before it was set to take effect. The decision, handed down on August 20, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Fred Biery, marks the latest flashpoint in a national debate over the role of religion in public schools and the boundaries of the First Amendment.
The law in question, Senate Bill 10, was passed during the regular legislative session earlier this year and signed by Governor Greg Abbott in June. The measure would have mandated that every public school classroom in the state post a 16-by-20-inch poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments, specifically the King James Bible version, beginning September 1. Supporters argued the displays would reinforce the nation’s moral and legal foundations, while critics warned of constitutional pitfalls and the risk of religious coercion.
The legal challenge was swift and broad-based. Families from the Dallas area—representing a spectrum of faiths, including Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Unitarian Universalist, and non-religious backgrounds—joined with local clergy to file suit. Their argument: Senate Bill 10 violated both the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment. The plaintiffs were represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the Freedom from Religion Foundation, and pro bono counsel from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, according to multiple reports including the San Antonio Express-News and NPR.
In his 55-page ruling, Judge Biery sided with the families, writing that the law "is not neutral with respect to religion." He explained, "By design, and on its face, the statute mandates the display of expressly religious scripture in every public school classroom. The Act also requires that a Judeo-Christian version of that scripture be used, that is exclusionary of other faiths." He went further, suggesting that forcing such displays could "pressure the child-plaintiffs into religious observance, meditation on, veneration, and adoption of the State's favored religious scripture, and into suppressing expression of their own religious or nonreligious background and beliefs while at school."
Judge Biery also raised the specter of children being treated as "the other" if they did not subscribe to the state’s preferred religious beliefs, potentially facing ostracism or negative treatment by peers. In a rhetorical flourish, he referenced actress Greta Garbo’s famous desire to be left alone, writing, "Ultimately, in matters of conscience, faith, beliefs and the soul, most people are Garbo-esque. They just want to be left alone, neither proselytized nor ostracized, including what occurs to their children in government-run schools."
The injunction, which applies to 11 school districts named in the lawsuit—including Alamo Heights ISD, North East ISD, Houston ISD, and Plano ISD—bars those districts, the Texas Education Agency, and the state education commissioner from displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms as the legal battle continues. The ruling is preliminary, but its reasoning suggests the law faces an uphill battle in the courts. As Judge Biery noted, "With regard to the Free Exercise Clause, S.B. 10 is not neutral with respect to religion."
The plaintiffs and their advocates hailed the decision as a major victory for religious freedom and parental rights. Rabbi Mara Nathan, a plaintiff and public school parent, told NPR, "Children’s religious beliefs should be instilled by parents and faith communities, not politicians and public schools." Heather L. Weaver, senior counsel for the ACLU’s Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief, echoed that sentiment, stating, "Public schools are not Sunday schools. Today’s decision ensures that our clients’ schools will remain spaces where all students, regardless of their faith, feel welcomed and can learn without worrying that they do not live up to the state’s preferred religious beliefs." Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, added, "This ruling reaffirms that Texas families—not politicians or school officials—decide how and when their children engage with religion."
Not everyone was pleased with the outcome. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose office represented most of the school districts named in the suit, called the ruling flawed and pledged to appeal. In a statement reported by SAN and other outlets, Paxton said, "The Ten Commandments are a cornerstone of our moral and legal heritage, and their presence in classrooms serves as a reminder of the values that guide responsible citizenship. Texas will always defend our right to uphold the foundational principles that have built this nation, and I will absolutely be appealing this flawed decision."
The legal wrangling in Texas is part of a broader national trend. Similar laws requiring Ten Commandments displays in schools have been passed in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma in recent years, only to be blocked by federal courts on First Amendment grounds. Texas already displays a Ten Commandments monument on the Capitol grounds in Austin—a practice the U.S. Supreme Court upheld in a 2005 decision—but the justices have generally drawn a sharper line when it comes to religious displays inside public school classrooms, where the risk of coercion is seen as higher.
Supporters of Senate Bill 10 argue that the Ten Commandments reflect the nation’s historical and moral underpinnings. They contend that the displays would not constitute religious instruction, but rather serve as a reminder of shared values. However, opponents—including the families who filed suit—maintain that such displays amount to government endorsement of a particular faith tradition and undermine the religious freedom of students and parents from other backgrounds. The law’s requirement of a specific version of the Ten Commandments, rooted in the King James Bible, was cited by Judge Biery as especially problematic: "The Act also requires that a Judeo-Christian version of that scripture be used, that is exclusionary of other faiths."
In a creative twist, Judge Biery’s ruling included a fictional scenario to highlight the potential for religious favoritism: What if, he asked, excerpts from the Quran were displayed in every classroom in a majority-Muslim community? "Imagine the consternation and legal firestorm were the following fictional story to become reality," Biery wrote, underscoring the principle that government should not privilege one faith over others in public institutions.
The case is widely expected to make its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where it could set a new precedent for the intersection of religion and public education. For now, though, the preliminary injunction remains in effect, and Texas classrooms will remain free of mandated religious displays as the legal battle continues.
The debate over Senate Bill 10 has laid bare the deep divisions over church-state separation, parental rights, and the meaning of religious freedom in American public life. As the case unfolds, families, educators, and lawmakers across the country will be watching closely to see where the courts ultimately draw the line.
