A federal judge has decided that a new Texas law requiring the Christian Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom is unconstitutional.
The decision requires the religious rules to be removed from certain school districts by Dec. 1.
Ten Commandments lawsuit decision
The latest:
U.S. District Judge Orlando L. Garcia's order is a decision on the second lawsuit filed against Senate Bill 10 by the ACLU.
Garcia found that the law is in violation of the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The districts included in the lawsuit have been ordered to remove the Ten Commandments from classrooms by the beginning of December.
While the order only applies to specific districts, the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, the ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation are urging all districts in the state not to implement SB 10.
Texas families of different faiths sue over law requiring Ten Commandments in classrooms
Sixteen Texas families of different faiths have filed a lawsuit looking to block a state law that would require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in school classrooms.
Second ACLU lawsuit
The backstory:
Cribbs Ringer v. Comal ISD was filed on Sept. 22 on behalf of 15 multifaith families who are a part of 14 Texas school districts.
The independent school districts of Comal, Georgetown, Conroe, Flour Bluff, Fort Worth, Arlington, McKinney, Frisco, Northwest, Azle, Rockwall, Lovejoy, Mansfield and McAllen are those affected by the decision.
The suit was filed after districts began proceeding with the implementation of SB 10 in spite of an Aug. 20 order by another judge.
In July, the ACLU filed a prior lawsuit on behalf of other Texas families for the same purpose.
‘State-mandated religious coercion’
What they're saying:
"Today’s ruling is yet another affirmation of what Texans already know: The First Amendment guarantees families and faith communities – not the government – the right to instill religious beliefs in our children," said Chloe Kempf, staff attorney for the ACLU of Texas. "Our schools are for education, not evangelization. This ruling protects thousands of Texas students from ostracization, bullying, and state-mandated religious coercion. Every school district in Texas is now on notice that implementing S.B. 10 violates their students’ constitutional rights."
"Our Texas public schools are for education," Kempf said. "They are not for evangelizing. And we encourage every school district, even if they were not parties to this lawsuit, to look at these cases, see that this law is deemed unconstitutional, and remove the posters."
The other side:
Mary Elizabeth Castle, with the organization Texas Values, which helped push SB 10 through the legislature, disagrees.
"School districts that are not in those lawsuits and are clearly not under that federal injunction, should display the Ten Commandment posters," Castle said.
"The Ten Commandments being displayed in classrooms does serve an educational, historical purpose," Castle continued.
Texas AG sues school districts
Dig deeper:
Two Central Texas school districts are being sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for refusing to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms.
Paxton said Tuesday the districts are "openly refusing to comply with Texas law requiring public schools to display donated copies of the Ten Commandments in each classroom."
AG Paxton sues Central Texas school districts for refusing to display Ten Commandments in classrooms
Two Central Texas school districts are being sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for refusing to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms.
"These rogue ISD officials and board members blatantly disregarded the will of Texas voters who expect the legal and moral heritage of our state to be displayed in accordance with the law," said Attorney General Paxton in the news release.
"Round Rock ISD and Leander ISD chose to defy a clear statutory mandate, and this lawsuit makes clear that no district may ignore Texas law without consequence," Paxton added.
Senate Bill 10
The backstory:
Senate Bill 10 requires every public school classroom to display the Christian Ten Commandments. The bill was approved by Gov. Abbott in late June.
The law requires a "durable poster or framed copy" of the Ten Commandments be posted in each classroom. The copies would need to be at least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall and "in a size and typeface that is legible to a person with average vision from anywhere in the classroom."
The bill faced some opposition before passage. Amendments allowing school boards to vote on their involvement or allowing other codes of ethics from other religions were shot down in the House.
The act took effect on Sept. 1.
The Source: Information in this report came from the ACLU of Texas.