PP Language Lessons
HardEducationOctober 4, 2025

Texas and the Ten Commandments: What Happened and Why It Matters

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Key Vocabulary

injunction

injunction /ɪnˈdʒʌŋkʃən/ - a court order preventing a party from doing something
Example: A preliminary injunction halted the displays in named districts.

Establishment Clause

Establishment Clause /ɪˈstæblɪʃmənt klɔːz/ - the part of the First Amendment that bars government establishment of religion
Example: Courts analyze whether a law violates the Establishment Clause.

precedent

precedent /ˈprɛsɪdənt/ - an earlier court decision that guides later cases
Example: Van Orden and McCreary are important precedents.

plaintiff

plaintiff /ˈpleɪntɪf/ - a person or group who brings a lawsuit
Example: The plaintiffs include families from several districts.

coercion

coercion /koʊˈɜrʒən/ - forcing someone to act against their will
Example: The judge wrote that displays could create coercion for students.

📖 Article

Senate Bill 10 became law in Texas on June 21, 2025, when the governor signed a measure that requires a durable poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public elementary and secondary school classroom. The statute specifies that each copy must be at least 16 by 20 inch and must be legible from anywhere in the room, and it takes effect on September 1, 2025.

Before the law could be widely implemented, a federal court issued a preliminary injunction on August 20, 2025 that limits enforcement for 11 school districts named in the suit. Judge Fred Biery, who wrote a 55-page opinion, found that the displays would likely pressure the child plaintiffs into religious observance and that the law likely runs afoul of the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment. The plaintiffs, a coalition that has included 16 families, are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

State officials have taken different steps while the litigation proceeds: the Texas attorney general issued public guidance urging compliance where courts have not enjoined the law, and some school districts have been temporarily blocked from posting the mandated displays. Legal precedents are mixed; in Van Orden v. Perry (2005) the Supreme Court allowed a Ten Commandments monument on the Texas State Capitol grounds, but in McCreary County v. ACLU (2005) the Court struck down courthouse displays that lacked a clear secular purpose. Since Kennedy v. Bremerton (2022), the Court has emphasized historical practices and has shifted the analytical framework that lower courts use, so outcomes may vary depending on how judges apply history, coercion, and context.

If appeals proceed, higher courts will weigh the parties' arguments and prior precedents, and the final outcome will depend on how judges reconcile historical practice with concerns about coercion and religious neutrality.

318 words

❓ Quiz

Q1. What is the name of the law that requires Ten Commandments displays?
Q2. When does the statute take effect?
Q3. Who issued the preliminary injunction that limited enforcement for certain districts?

💬 Discussion

1.

Do you think schools should teach about religious texts as part of history class? Why or why not?

2.

Have you ever felt pressure to agree with others in a group because of a public message? What happened?

3.

What do you think teachers should do if students ask about religious displays in class?

4.

Would you prefer classroom materials to be chosen by local communities or by the state? Why?

5.

How do you feel when laws mention religion and history together?