A federal judge blocks Texas’ law to mandate Ten Commandments in classrooms, calling it a violation of religious freedom and ending his ruling with a striking “Amen.”
In a dramatic legal showdown, a federal judge in Texas has halted a controversial state law that would have forced every public school classroom to display the Ten Commandments.
US District Judge Fred Biery, in a fiery 55-page ruling, declared the law unconstitutional, siding with civil liberties groups who warned that the measure trampled on the separation of church and state. The law, set to take effect September 1, had been pushed through the Texas Legislature with support from conservatives who argued the biblical text represents America’s “moral foundation.”
But Biery, in language as sharp as it was symbolic, dismantled the law’s defenders. His opinion opened with the First Amendment and ended with the single word: “Amen.” He rejected claims that passive displays of the commandments were harmless, pointing out that children in classrooms would inevitably question them, pulling teachers into religious discussions. “That is what they do,” he wrote, stressing the law would put unfair pressure on students from minority faiths and non-religious families.
The lawsuit was spearheaded by a coalition of Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Unitarian Universalist, and non-religious families, represented by the ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom from Religion Foundation.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton quickly vowed to appeal, blasting the ruling as “flawed.” Defending the law, Paxton insisted, “The Ten Commandments are a cornerstone of our moral and legal heritage.”
Texas is the largest state to attempt such a mandate, but Biery cited similar courtroom defeats in Louisiana and Arkansas, where courts struck down almost identical laws. The case is now expected to march toward the US Supreme Court, where the battle over faith in public schools could reach its climax.
