Federal judge blocks Texas public schools from displaying Ten Commandments in classrooms

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked a Texas bill requiring general school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments the latest in a string of setbacks for red states seeking to introduce the religious text into schools Judge Fred Biery wrote in an order granting a preliminary injunction that the Republican-led legislature could not demonstrate a tradition of inhabitants schools posting the Ten Commandments which he noted was needed for the bill to withstand court precedents This Court finds there is insufficient evidence of a broad tradition in place at the time of the Founding and within the history of society instruction to justify S B Biery wrote Biery a Clinton appointee also noted the rule was not neutral enough on religion to be constitutional The bill impermissibly takes sides on theological questions and officially favors Christian denominations over others the judge wrote FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS ARKANSAS TEN COMMANDMENTS LAW IN CERTAIN DISTRICTSFamilies of numerous religious denominations as well as non-religious plaintiffs brought the lawsuit arguing Texas' bill imposed a religious preference on their children in violation of the First Amendment Their lawsuit followed the U S Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit deciding in June that a similar law in Louisiana was unconstitutional Biery partially relied on that ruling to justify his own A judge in Arkansas overturned yet another bill about the Ten Commandments in citizens schools this month The Supreme Court rejected the idea of society schools posting religious texts in classrooms in Stone v Graham in That affair centered on a bill passed by the Kentucky leadership that required hanging posters of the Ten Commandments in general school classrooms which the high court discovered violated the First Amendment because it lacked a secular purpose FEDERAL APPEALS COURT RULES LOUISIANA TEN COMMANDMENTS SCHOOL LAW IS UNCONSTITUTIONALBiery observed that while the language in Texas' regulation excluded any religious purposes lawmakers were vocal about its intent The judge gave several quotes from state lawmakers including the bill s lead sponsor in the Senate We want every kid kindergarten through twelve every day in every classroom they sit in to look on the wall and read those words because we want them to understand how major that those statements of God those rules of God are that they see them in their classroom every single day of their society guidance State Sen Phil King a Republican mentioned That and numerous other statements cited by the judge demonstrated that lawmakers had a predominantly religious objective when they passed the bill Biery declared The bill's authors wrote in a declaration accompanying the rule that they wished the religious directives displayed on the school walls because they were a notable part of history Now that the legal landscape has changed it is time for Texas to pass S B and restore the history and tradition of the Ten Commandments in our state and our nation the legislators stated