Overview

• Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 10 on June 22, mandating that every public school classroom display the Ten Commandments beginning September 1, 2025.
• The law stipulates a framed or poster copy of the commandments at least 16-by-20 inches in size must be placed in a conspicuous spot in each classroom.
• On June 25, a coalition of Christian and Nation of Islam faith leaders filed a federal lawsuit against the Texas Education Agency and several school boards, claiming the mandate breaches both the U.S. and Texas constitutions.
• Last week the Fifth Circuit blocked a similar Louisiana law as “facially unconstitutional” under the Supreme Court’s 1980 Stone v. Graham decision, a ruling that now threatens Texas’s version.
• Advocates insist the commandments offer essential historical and moral context for students; opponents warn the law blurs the line between church and state and invites further judicial scrutiny.