This legislation is not the first of its kind. Similar laws in states like Louisiana and Arkansas have already been blocked or struck down by federal courts. At the center of the legal debate is the 1980 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Stone v. Graham, which ruled that mandatory displays of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms are unconstitutional because they advance a specific religious doctrine, violating the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
Legal experts have pointed out that while the current Supreme Court has been more open to religious expression in public settings—especially following the 2022 ruling in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, which sided with a public school football coach’s right to pray on the field—those decisions do not necessarily overrule Stone v. Graham. Instead, they reflect a shifting interpretation of what constitutes an endorsement of religion by the state.
Civil liberties organizations such as the ACLU of Texas, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation have already vowed to file lawsuits to stop the law from being enforced. These groups argue that the law compels schools to promote a religious message, thereby marginalizing students and families who do not share those beliefs or who identify with other faiths—or none at all.
Supporters of the law, including Governor Greg Abbott and conservative lawmakers, contend that the Ten Commandments are part of America’s moral and legal foundations. They believe the new law is a step toward restoring historical values in public education. Some also hope that the current Supreme Court might reconsider the Stone precedent and allow for greater religious expression in schools under the banner of tradition and free speech.
