Overview
- Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 10 on June 21, making Texas the third state to require the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom beginning in the 2025-2026 school year.
- The law prescribes a durable 16-by-20-inch poster in a legible typeface of the Protestant King James text and indemnifies schools against legal claims arising from the displays.
- A coalition of five Protestant pastors, Islamic leaders and parents sued to block SB 10 in federal court, asserting it violates the U.S. and Texas constitutions by pressuring religious observance.
- The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Texas, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Freedom From Religion Foundation have joined the litigation.
- In June a federal appeals court deemed Louisiana’s similar mandate unconstitutional and outcomes in Texas could shape future Supreme Court precedent on religious displays.