By Tionna Ryan • Federal Education Law and Policy Update • October 9, 2025
Key takeaways
- Courts blocked mandated Ten Commandments classroom displays.
- Judges found the laws unconstitutional under the First Amendment.
- Families argued the displays coerce religious expression.
- Rulings reaffirm long-standing church–state separation in schools.
Resource from the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA), a nonprofit advancing education equity.
Despite well-settled precedent mandating the separation of church and state, several southern states have passed policies that infuse conservative Christian ideals in public schools. Federal courts in Texas and Georgia have recently reaffirmed this principle in litigation challenging state laws that require schools to display the Ten Commandments.
On August 20, 2025, a federal judge in San Antonio issued an injunction against enforcement of the Texas Ten Commandments law (SB 10) in select Texas school districts. In Rabbi Nathan v. Alamo Heights ISD, the court held that the new law “crosses the line from exposure to coercion.”
The law requires every public elementary and secondary school to display specific Ten Commandments wording in each classroom. While the bill does not compel schools to purchase the displays, it requires schools to accept and post any privately donated copies that meet the law’s specifications.
By mandating these displays, SB 10 undermines the maintenance of inclusive, culturally sustaining schools and violates the First Amendment rights of students and their families. The injunction currently applies only to the 10 districts* named in the lawsuit. Texas has over 1,000 school districts.
Relying on the court’s reasoning in Rabbi Nathan, multi-faith and nonreligious families filed a new federal lawsuit to stop their 15 public school districts** from displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms. The plaintiffs in Cribbs Ringer v. Comal ISD plan to seek a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction. If granted, the injunction would require the defendant districts to remove any existing displays and prevent new postings while litigation is pending.
The U.S. Supreme Court has long prohibited displays of the Ten Commandments in public schools. In Stone v. Graham (1980), the Court struck down a nearly identical law, which was reaffirmed earlier this year by a federal district court in Louisiana.
Our courts have said that permitting such displays in classrooms is a direct violation of the First Amendment, and religious instruction should remain the choice of parents and guardians, not something imposed by schools.
* Alamo Heights ISD, Austin ISD, Cypress Fairbanks ISD, Dripping Springs ISD, Fort Bend ISD, Houston ISD, Lackland ISD, Lake Travis ISD, North East ISD and Plano ISD.
**Districts named in Cribbs Ringer include Arlington ISD, Azle ISD, Comal ISD, Conroe ISD, Flour Bluff ISD, Fort Worth ISD, Frisco ISD, Georgetown ISD, Lovejoy ISD, Mansfield ISD, McAllen ISD, McKinney ISD, Northwest ISD and Rockwall ISD.
This article appeared with other articles in the October 2025 edition of the IDRA Federal Education Law and Policy Update. See the full edition.
FAQs
Q: What did the courts decide?
A: Judges ruled that requiring Ten Commandments displays in public schools violates the Constitution.
Q: Why is this significant?
A: It reinforces religious freedom and prevents state-endorsed religious expression in schools.
Q: Does this affect all schools in Texas?
A: The rulings apply to named districts but could influence similar laws nationwide.
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