Paxton Directs Schools to Display Ten Commandments Despite Legal Challenge

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) issued a directive to Independent School Districts (ISDs) not affected by ongoing litigation to comply with Senate Bill 10, which mandates the display of the Ten Commandments in all public school classrooms beginning September 1, 2025.

“From the beginning, the Ten Commandments have been irrevocably intertwined with America’s legal, moral, and historical heritage,” said Paxton in an official statement. “The woke radicals seeking to erase our nation’s history will be defeated. I will not back down from defending the virtues and values that built this country.”

Senate Bill 10, passed during the Texas legislative session, requires public schools to display the Ten Commandments if a compliant poster is donated.

While the law does not force schools to purchase such displays, it does obligate them to accept and post any that meet the specifications outlined in the bill.

Legal challenges have already been filed. On August 20, a federal district judge granted a preliminary injunction preventing certain ISDs from enforcing the law.

The injunction applies to school districts including Alamo Heights, North East, Austin, Cypress-Fairbanks, Lackland, Lake Travis, Fort Bend, Houston, Dripping Springs, Plano, and Northside.

Paxton has appealed the decision, calling it a “flawed ruling,” and clarified that all ISDs not party to the lawsuit must prepare to implement the law.

This move is expected to further intensify the legal and cultural debate over religion in public education, with critics arguing it breaches the constitutional separation of church and state, while supporters, like Paxton, frame it as a defense of historical and moral values.