Federal Judge Blocks Texas Law on Ten Commandments in Classrooms

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton appealed the ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Aug. 21.

The Ten Commandments along with other historical documents in a hallway of the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta on June 20, 2024. John Bazemore/AP Photo

A federal district court in Texas issued a preliminary injunction on Aug. 20, temporarily blocking a new state law that would have required public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments.

U.S. District Judge Fred Biery of San Antonio ruled that Texas Senate Bill 10, set to take effect on Sept. 1, likely violates the “First Amendment respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting free exercise.”