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Texas Families File Class Action to Block Classroom Ten Commandments Law Statewide

The filing seeks a swift statewide halt to the classroom mandate for districts not covered by prior rulings.

Overview

  • Filed Dec. 2 in federal court in San Antonio, the suit represents 18 multifaith and nonreligious families and seeks class status for Texas’ roughly 5.5 million public-school students.
  • Plaintiffs, represented by the ACLU, Americans United, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation with Simpson Thacher as pro bono counsel, name 16 districts but ask the court to bar enforcement in all districts not already in litigation.
  • The complaint requests an immediate temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction to stop schools from posting the state-mandated Ten Commandments displays.
  • Two earlier cases produced preliminary injunctions from Judges Fred Biery and Orlando L. Garcia that block displays in the named districts, and those orders remain in effect during appeal.
  • Attorney General Ken Paxton has appealed the rulings, urged statewide compliance absent a court order, and pursued enforcement actions, as the Fifth Circuit sets Jan. 20, 2026 arguments that could shape the broader outcome, including a related Louisiana case.