Federal judge blocks Texas from displaying Ten Commandments in public schools

CNA Staff, Aug 21, 2025 / 12:12 pm

A federal judge has partially blocked the state of Texas from enforcing its law ordering the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools.

In a colorful ruling replete with off-the-cuff observances on topics ranging from Greta Garbo to the speed of Earth’s orbit, District Judge Fred Biery said the Texas law — signed by Gov. Greg Abbott earlier this year — could pressure children into “religious observance” in violation of the U.S. Constitution.

The state government did not establish a “compelling interest” in imposing such a burden on students, Biery said, and further it failed to make the law “narrowly tailored” enough to pass constitutional muster.

“There are ways in which students could be taught any relevant history of the Ten Commandment