A coalition of Texas families has filed a class-action lawsuit to prevent all public school districts in the state from displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms.
The federal lawsuit, filed Tuesday, targets a new state law mandating the displays. This law has already been deemed unconstitutional by two federal judges, who have blocked its implementation in 25 school districts. In response, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has instructed the state’s remaining districts to comply with the mandate and has sued some that refused.
Filed by 18 multifaith and non-religious families, the latest challenge aims to extend the previous court rulings to every Texas school district not already subject to a legal injunction. The suit, the third of its kind from a group of civil liberties organizations, names 16 additional districts, including North Texas’s Carroll, Prosper, Richardson, and Wylie ISDs.
“The posters convey to my children, who are already told they are ‘not real Christians’ because they are Mormon, that they are outsiders in their school community,” Briana Pascual-Clement, a Prosper ISD parent and a plaintiff, said in a statement. “I never want my kids or anyone else’s kids to be attacked for what they do or do not believe.”
Previous rulings found the law violates the First Amendment’s establishment clause, which prohibits government from establishing a religion. In a November order, U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia wrote that it is “impractical, if not impossible, to prevent Plaintiffs from being subjected to unwelcome religious displays” without a broad injunction.
Attorney General Paxton’s office has defended the law, describing the posters as a “passive display” rather than religious coercion. The office has sued at least three districts for non-compliance, arguing they “blatantly disregarded the will of Texas voters.” In court filings, Assistant Attorney General William Farrell noted that the law does not require the posters to be “read, discussed or otherwise incorporated into any specific activity” and that districts are only obligated to post them if they are donated.
Supporters of the law, including Republican state lawmakers, argue that the Ten Commandments are a foundational part of American history and that exposure to them can provide a positive moral framework for students. They point to historical references to God on U.S. currency and in national pledges as precedent for the displays.
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