{"id":176783,"date":"2025-08-26T10:35:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T10:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/176783\/"},"modified":"2025-08-26T10:35:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T10:35:08","slug":"paxton-says-only-nine-school-districts-are-exempt-from-ten-commandments-rule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/176783\/","title":{"rendered":"Paxton Says Only Nine School Districts Are Exempt From Ten Commandments Rule"},"content":{"rendered":"

A federal judge ruled<\/a> last week that 11 Texas school districts, including Cypress-Fairbanks, Fort Bend, and Houston ISDs, don\u2019t have to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom as required by a state law passed earlier this year. On Monday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said only nine districts are covered by the temporary injunction, and those that aren\u2019t, including Houston ISD, must hang the posters when the law takes effect on September 1. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s not clear why the federal judge\u2019s order named 11 districts \u2014 which were sued by a group of parents and civil rights advocates in Rabbi Nathan v. Alamo Heights<\/a> Independent School District .\u2014 and Paxton\u2019s press release mentions nine, exempting Austin ISD and Houston ISD from relief. Paxton\u2019s press office did not respond to calls or emails on Monday. <\/p>\n

Repeated phone calls and emails to Houston ISD went unanswered for most of the day. A spokesman responded in the afternoon, saying by email, \u201cThe District will not be discussing matters with pending litigation.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his latest public statement about the case, Paxton said:\u00a0\u201cFrom the beginning, the Ten Commandments have been irrevocably intertwined with America\u2019s legal, moral, and historical heritage. Schools not enjoined by ongoing litigation must abide by SB 10 and display the Ten Commandments. The woke radicals seeking to erase our nation\u2019s history will be defeated. I will not back down from defending the virtues and values that built this country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paxton is currently challenging longtime U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary and will soon be vacating his seat as attorney general. Cornyn seized the opportunity Monday to make a social media dig at Paxton, who has been accused of adultery and whose wife, Texas Sen. Angela Paxton, recently filed for divorce on “biblical grounds.”<\/p>\n

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Might want to brush up on the Ten Commandments, Ken.#txsen<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/c4GzuXobsT<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) August 25, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n The school districts affected by the injunction according to Paxton are Alamo Heights, North East, Cypress-Fairbanks, Lackland, Lake Travis, Fort Bend, Dripping Springs, Plano, and Northside, Paxton said in his statement. \u201cAll other ISDs must abide by the law once it takes effect on September 1, 2025,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

In a 55-page ruling<\/a> issued August 20, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery said the Texas law was unconstitutional and crossed the line from exposure to coercion. <\/p>\n

\u201c[Most people] just want to be left alone, neither proselytized nor ostracized, including what occurs to their children in government-run schools,\u201d Judge Biery wrote in his ruling. \u201cEven though the Ten Commandments would not be affirmatively taught, the captive audience of students likely would have questions, which teachers would feel compelled to answer. That is what they do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paxton said he immediately appealed the \u201cflawed ruling.\u201d Biery isn\u2019t the only judge who took issue with the Ten Commandments display. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals deemed it \u201cplainly unconstitutional\u201d just days before Senate Bill 10, authored by Republican Sen. Phil King of Weatherford, was signed into law. <\/p>\n

The Texas law requires that the scripture be displayed on a donated 16-by-20 poster. \u201cWhile no school is compelled to purchase Ten Commandments displays, schools may choose to do so,\u201d Paxton said in his statement. \u201cHowever, schools must accept and display any privately donated posters or copies that meet the requirements of SB 10.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kristi Gross, press strategist with the American Civil Liberties Union, said the attorney general’s demand that school districts implement Senate Bill 10 is “unwise and unlawful.”<\/p>\n

“A federal court has ruled that SB 10 is plainly unconstitutional, and school districts have an independent legal obligation to respect the constitutional rights of children and families,” she said. “Districts that flout the First Amendment will be opening themselves up to litigation.\u201d
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