Paxton demands school districts not under injunction to display Ten Commandments
The summary discusses Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s directive for all public school districts in Texas, except those under legal injunction, to display the Ten Commandments starting September 1, in accordance with Senate Bill 10. This follows a federal district court ruling that temporarily prohibited certain districts from posting the Ten Commandments. Paxton emphasized that the Ten Commandments are integral to America’s legal and moral heritage and vowed to defend these values despite opposition. the legislation, signed into law by governor Greg Abbott, has faced criticism from Texas Democrats who argue it violates the separation of church and state and imposes religious views on diverse student populations. Paxton appealed the court ruling and clarified that only nine school districts named in the lawsuit are exempt from the display requirement; all other districts must comply when the law takes effect.
Paxton demands school districts not under injunction to display Ten Commandments
All Texas public school districts not involved with litigation will have to display copies of the Ten Commandments starting on Sept. 1, instructed state Attorney General Ken Paxton on Monday.
Paxton’s announcement follows last week’s district court ruling that the state could not direct public schools to hang copies of the foundational Jewish and Christian covenant laws.
The lawsuit follows Texas Senate Bill 10, which mandates the display of the Ten Commandments in every Texas classroom. Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) signed the bill into law in June.
U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Texas Fred Biery ruled that the 11 named school districts in the lawsuit, “and their officers, agents, affiliates, subsidiaries, servants, employees, successors, and all other persons or entities in active concert or privity or participation with them” were preliminarily prohibited from displaying the Ten Commandments.
Paxton appealed the ruling and wrote in a press release today that the only Texas school districts affected by the injunction were: Alamo Heights, North East, Cypress Fairbanks, Lackland, Lake Travis, Fort Bend, Dripping Springs, Plano, and Northside Independent. He excluded two named defendants in the lawsuit, the Austin and Houston Independent School Districts. Paxton wrote that all other Texas independent school districts besides the nine he named had to comply with SB 10 when it comes into effect on Sept. 1.
“From the beginning, the Ten Commandments have been irrevocably intertwined with America’s legal, moral, and historical heritage,” Paxton said in his press release. “Schools not enjoined by ongoing litigation must abide by S.B. 10 and display the Ten Commandments. 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.”
Several Texas state Democrats spoke out against the bill and its implications on the separation of church and state in the state Senate and House chambers. James Talarico, a Democratic state representative who fled Texas amid the state’s continued redistricting battle, spoke against the bill on the Texas House of Representatives floor in May.
“Forcing our religion onto Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and atheist students is not love. Forcing teachers to put up a poster in their classrooms against their wills is not love. Love does no harm to a neighbor,” Talarico said. “I’m voting no on this bill, not despite my faith but because of it.”
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Paxton wrote on X, “I will not back down from defending the virtues and values that built this country,” as he posted his decision to move forward with directing Texas schools to display the Ten Commandments.
SB 10 goes into effect on Sept. 1.
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