Texas will require all public schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms under a new law signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. The governor announced the move on Saturday, June 21, as part of a broader list of legislation enacted during the state’s 89th Regular Legislative Session.
Abbott’s statement
“Texas is where the American dream lives,” said Abbott in a statement on Saturday, June 21. “Today, I signed critical legislation passed in the 89th Regular Legislative Session that protects the safety of Texans and safeguards the individual freedoms that our great state was founded on. Working with the Texas Legislature, we will keep Texas the best place to live, work and to raise a family.”
The governor’s office highlighted more than 300 new laws signed during the session – including the Ten Commandments mandate – and noted that Abbott has signed more than 600 bills into law since taking office.
What the law requires
The new law mandates that every public classroom in Texas display a 16-by-20-inch poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments. The legislation passed both chambers of the Republican-controlled legislature before the session ended on June 2. State Rep. Candy Noble, a Republican cosponsor of the bill, said the goal was to reflect the historical and educational significance of the commandments.
“The focus of the bill is to look at what is historically important to our nation educationally and judicially,” Noble said.
Abbott also signed a separate bill, allowing students time during the school day for voluntary prayer or religious reading.
Legal challenges and national context
The Texas law comes just one day after a federal appeals court blocked a similar measure in Louisiana, ruling it “plainly unconstitutional.” A three-judge panel from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which also hears cases from Texas, upheld an earlier injunction against Louisiana’s law.
Opponents of the Texas mandate, including the American Civil Liberties Union, have vowed to sue. In a recent statement, the ACLU said the law “is blatantly unconstitutional. We will be working with Texas public school families to prepare a lawsuit to stop this violation of students’ and parents’ First Amendment rights.”
A coalition of Christian and Jewish leaders also sent a letter opposing the law, arguing that it imposes a state-endorsed religious message in classrooms that serve nearly 6 million students across more than 9,000 public schools.
Abbott’s history defending Ten Commandments in government
Gov. Abbott has a history of supporting public displays of the Ten Commandments. As Texas attorney general in 2005, he successfully defended a Ten Commandments monument on the grounds of the Texas Capitol before the U.S. Supreme Court in Van Orde v. Perry.
What’s next?
In Louisiana, Attorney General Liz Murrill, R, has vowed to appeal the federal court’s decision, potentially taking the case to the U.S. Supreme Court — a path Texas officials may pursue if their own law is challenged in court.
contributed to this report.