TYLER, Texas (KLTV/Gray News) – A Texas law that requires schools to display the Ten Commandments is being challenged in court.
A federal judge has temporarily blocked a mandate for public schools in Texas to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms.
State Attorney General Ken Paxton is appealing the federal judge’s decision, so future court proceedings will determine whether the law stands.
The judge’s decision comes as Paxton is suing three school districts for not complying with state law.
Paxton has filed lawsuits against Galveston, Leander and Round Rock school districts for failing to display the Ten Commandments in accordance with current state law.
Two of the lawsuits state that the school districts received donated posters of the Ten Commandments, but each delayed hanging them as arguments of the law proceeded in federal court.
Senate Bill 10 was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in late June of this year, just one day after a similar law in Louisiana was deemed unconstitutional.
The law took effect on Sept. 1, requiring schools to accept posters or framed copies of the Ten Commandments and display them “in a conspicuous place” in classrooms.
Supporters say the Ten Commandments’ teachings are a cornerstone of American law, while those in opposition argue mandating the display is a violation of the First Amendment.
A federal appeals court will hear the state’s arguments against the ruling next year.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit will hear both Texas’ case and a similar case playing out in Louisiana in January.
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