A federal judge in San Antonio has blocked a new state law that requires public schools to display a poster of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms, beginning Sept. 1.

U.S. District Judge Fred Biery issued a 55-page ruling Wednesday following more than 12 hours of hearings Friday and Monday. He wrote that the law was plainly unconstitutional, and children exposed to what he called was a state-approved Christian version of the biblical document was coercive.

“For those who disagree with the court’s decision and who would do so with threats, vulgarities and violence, grace and peace unto you,” Biery wrote in his conclusion. “May humankind of all faiths, beliefs and non-beliefs be reconciled one to another. Amen.”

The case is expected to be appealed to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. At least two lawsuits involving similar laws in other states are being reviewed. 

Biery said the founders of the nation were clear regarding religion and its relationship to the government, and cited the section of the First Amendment that deals specifically with that: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. … “

Biblical teachings say that the Ten Commandments are a set of religious and ethical principles that were presented to Moses by God on Mount Sinai, following the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. 

Defendants said that they are not only the root of America’s laws, they are  foundational part of the Jewish and Christian faiths and are crucial to cultivating good morals for children in schools. 

William Farrell, with the Texas Attorney General’s Office, argued that the Ten Commandments should be prominently displayed because they are the foundation of the history and heritage of the United States. 

Plaintiffs,which include parents from Jewish, Christian, Unitarian Universalist and Hindu faiths, or those who do not identify as religious, oppose the law because they say it is unconstitutional, among other issues. 

Mara Nathan, senior rabbi of Temple Beth-El in San Antonio, is listed as the top plaintiff in the lawsuit that is suing at least a dozen school districts, including Alamo Heights, Northside and North East school districts. She sued on behalf of herself and her child, arguing that the Christian version of the Ten Commandments is not one that her Jewish faith follows. 

This is a developing story. It will be updated.