Texas Ten Commandments Law Challenged at the Supreme Court

A coalition of families from diverse religious backgrounds has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down Texas Senate Bill 10, which requires a copy of the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public-school classroom. They contend that the mandate forces students to defend personal beliefs against a government-mandated religious message.

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The challengers cite two Supreme Court precedents. *Stone v. Graham* (1980) held that posting the Ten Commandments in schools breaches the Constitution’s separation of church and state. More recently, *Kennedy v. Bremerton School District* (2022) warned that “problematically coercive” religious expressions presented to a captive audience are unconstitutional. The families assert that a recent appellate decision upholding SB 10 conflicts with these rulings.

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She warned that the posters risk bullying, stigmatization, and religious coercion.

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• “These displays put children in the position of having to defend themselves and their families’ religious beliefs,” — Rabbi Joshua Fixler

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• “My 9-year-old son is proud of his heritage, and he even brought that statue of Shiva to his public school as part of a presentation about his family history,” — Audrey Nath

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The petition now awaits Supreme Court review. If the Court agrees to hear the case, it could set a new national precedent on the display of religious texts in public schools, potentially affecting similar statutes in other states.

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