Overview

• Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 10 on June 21 to require a framed copy of the Protestant Ten Commandments, at least 16 by 20 inches, in every public school classroom starting in the 2025–26 school year.
• Five Protestant pastors, Islamic leaders and parents sued in federal court in Northern Texas, naming the Texas Education Agency and multiple school districts and arguing the law violates both the Establishment and Free Exercise clauses and parental rights.
• The ACLU of Texas, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Freedom From Religion Foundation announced plans to file suit, citing the Supreme Court’s 1980 Stone v. Graham decision barring Ten Commandments postings in public schools.
• A three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit last week struck down Louisiana’s similar law as “facially unconstitutional,” putting SB 10’s chances under the same appellate jurisdiction in doubt.
• Abbott said he is confident of victory, referencing his prior Ten Commandments case as attorney general, while opponents warn the mandate pressures students into religious observance.