Story perspectives

Religious Charter Lawsuit Grows as Texas Targets Trans Kids

4/25/2026

Left

Abbott Orders Probe

Seven Oklahoma taxpayers—families, teachers, and clergy—filed a federal motion to intervene in case against nation’s first religious public charter school.
Texas Supreme Court dismissed lawsuit challenging DFPS investigations of transgender children as moot, with civil-rights groups calling ruling procedural.
Governor Greg Abbott ordered DFPS to investigate transgender children, citing executive authority.
Lambda Legal, ACLU, ACLU of Texas, PFLAG warned charter would breach church-state and divert funds.

Right

Paxton Praises Ruling

Attorney General Ken Paxton praised the ruling and warned schools that refuse Ten Commandments posters could face lawsuits.
A 9-8 decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Texas Senate Bill 10, allowing Ten Commandments displays.
Families and American Civil Liberties Union said will petition U.S. Supreme Court to overturn it.
Texas lawyers said 2022 removal of the Lemon Test cleared an obstacle for Senate Bill 10.

History

Historical Context

Beginning with colonial tax-supported churches, the Supreme Court first limited state aid in Everson (1947) and struck school-led prayer in Engel (1962) and Schempp (1963). In Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971), Chief Justice Burger’s 8-1 ruling created the Lemon test to bar excessive entanglement. Texas’s 2024 challenge to religious displays revives that precedent.

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Abbott Orders Probe

Seven Oklahoma taxpayers—families, teachers, and clergy—filed a federal motion to intervene in case against nation’s first religious public charter school.
Texas Supreme Court dismissed lawsuit challenging DFPS investigations of transgender children as moot, with civil-rights groups calling ruling procedural.
Governor Greg Abbott ordered DFPS to investigate transgender children, citing executive authority.
Lambda Legal, ACLU, ACLU of Texas, PFLAG warned charter would breach church-state and divert funds.

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