On Monday, a coalition of over two dozen Texas families filed a joint petition with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking review of two district‑court cases that challenge Senate Bill 10. The bill, signed by Governor Greg Abbott on June 20, 2025, mandates that every public elementary and secondary classroom display a durable poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments in a conspicuous location.
Legal background
The petition asks the Court to either reverse the Fifth Circuit’s 9‑8 decision upholding the law in Nathan v. Alamo Heights Independent School District (April 21) or to take up the constitutional questions directly. The same appellate court also reversed a preliminary injunction in Cribbs Ringer v. Comal Independent School District on May 29, allowing the displays to remain.
Attorney General Ken Paxton, who defended the statute, praised the April ruling as “a major victory for Texas and our moral values,” emphasizing the historic influence of the Ten Commandments on the nation. He maintains that students should learn from the scripture.
What the law requires
SB 10 specifies that each poster must be at least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall, contain only the text set by the Legislature, and be readable by a person with average vision from anywhere in the classroom. Schools may accept privately donated displays that meet these standards, and districts may use district funds to purchase compliant copies, though the law does not compel them to do so. The statute also directs the attorney general to defend schools against any lawsuits arising from compliance and makes the state responsible for related expenses.
Constitutional arguments
The families, representing Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Baha’i, Unitarian Universalist, and non‑religious backgrounds across 22 districts, argue that the Fifth Circuit improperly treated the 1980 Stone v. Graham decision as overturned, despite the Supreme Court never expressly overruling it. They contend that mandating a permanent, government‑selected Ten Commandments display violates the Establishment Clause and burdens parents’ ability to direct their children’s religious upbringing under the Free Exercise Clause.
The ACLU’s National Legal Director Cecillia Wang said, “In our country, no legislature can force its preferred scripture on public‑school students and families.” The petition notes that similar measures have been considered or enacted in two dozen other states, giving the case potential national impact.
Supreme Court outlook
The high court has not yet indicated whether it will hear the cases. Until a decision is made, the Fifth Circuit rulings keep SB 10 in force throughout Texas.
Both sides frame the dispute around constitutional interpretation. The Fifth Circuit majority applied the historical‑practice test from the Court’s 2022 Kennedy v. Bremerton School District decision, concluding that the law does not constitute an establishment of religion because it does not require prayer, recitation, or affirmation of belief. The families maintain that the displays nonetheless represent a state‑endorsed religious message that infringes parental rights.
Local impact
For Texas parents and educators, the outcome will determine whether classrooms across the state continue to feature the Ten Commandments or whether districts must remove the displays pending further judicial guidance. The case also highlights the broader tension between state‑level religious‑heritage statutes and constitutional protections of religious liberty.
Original reporting: The Dallas Express — read the source article.
