Overview
- U.S. District Judge Fred Biery issued a 55-page order blocking SB10’s classroom displays before the September 1 effective date.
- The order binds 11 named districts, including Houston, Austin and Plano, while broader litigation against state officials continues.
- Biery found the mandate likely violates the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses, writing that it pressures students to venerate a state‑favored scripture.
- SB10 requires a 16-by-20-inch poster reproducing a specific English text of the Ten Commandments, with no classroom exemptions and district funding if donations fall short.
- Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton vowed to appeal, as courts have recently halted similar laws in Louisiana and Arkansas.