U.S. District Judge Fred Biery issued an injunction against a Texas law calling for the Ten Commandments to be displayed in classrooms. Under the decision, 11 school districts may not comply with whe law, although other school distticts in the state must abide by the policy.
“Even though the Ten Commandments would not be affirmatively taught, the captive audience of students likely would have questions, which teachers would feel compelled to answer,” Biery wrote. “There is also insufficient evidence of a broader tradition of using the Ten Commandments in public education, and there is no tradition of permanently displaying the Ten Commandments in public-school classrooms.”
“There are ways in which students could be taught any relevant history of the Ten Commandments without the state selecting an official version of scripture, approving it in state law, and then displaying it in every classroom on a permanent basis,” he added.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton condemned the injunction, calling the Ten Commandments a “cornerstone of our moral and legal heritage, and their presence in classrooms serves as a reminder of the values that guide responsible citizenship.” He said that Texas will “always defend our right to uphold the foundational principles that have built this nation, and I will absolutely be appealing this flawed decision.”
Governor Greg Abbott (R) signed the Ten Commandments bill in June. Under the law, the display must be in a “size and typeface that is legible to a person with average vision from anywhere in the classroom in which the poster or framed copy is displayed” and be “at least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall.”
