Ken Paxton

AUSTIN, Texas ‌- Texas Attorney General ⁢Ken ⁣Paxton has ⁣filed a lawsuit⁤ against Galveston Independent School District (Galveston ISD) for refusing ‍to‌ comply with​ Senate ⁤Bill 10​ (SB ​10), a‍ state law requiring public ⁤schools to‌ display​ the Ten Commandments⁤ in classrooms. The legal action, announced Friday, underscores a​ growing legal battle over the ⁢constitutionality​ of ‍the law and its implementation across Texas.

SB 10, signed into law earlier this year, mandates the display of⁣ the Ten commandments in a conspicuous place in each public ‍school classroom. However, the law has faced immediate legal challenges,⁤ with⁤ more than a dozen Texas families arguing⁤ it violates the separation of church and state‍ and infringes upon their right to direct their children’s upbringing.

in November, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery sided‌ with the families, barring 11 districts from ⁢enforcing ‍the law, calling‌ it​ unconstitutional and stating it “crosses‌ the ⁤line ‍from exposure⁤ to coercion.” Judge Biery predicted the case would‍ likely⁤ reach the ​U.S. ​Supreme⁢ Court. Arguments in both ⁣the ⁤Texas and Louisiana cases challenging the law ‌are scheduled for‌ January before a federal appeals court.

Despite Biery’s ruling applying only to ⁢the ⁢11 districts involved in ‌the‍ initial lawsuit, Paxton ​ordered all other districts not engaged‍ in ​litigation to display the Ten Commandments less ‍than‌ a week ​after the judge’s decision.

“America is a ‌Christian ⁢nation, and it is imperative that we display ​the very values‌ and ⁢timeless truths ‍that have historically ⁣guided the success‌ of our country,” Paxton ⁣stated in a news release. ​He accused Galveston ISD ​of “blatantly ignore[ing] the Legislature and ‌also ‌ignore[ing] the legal and moral heritage of our nation” by refusing to comply. Paxton also asserted that the ‌”separation of church and state”⁣ phrase does​ not appear in the Constitution.

The lawsuit⁣ against Galveston⁢ ISD raises questions about potential conflicts with the state’s arguments defending SB 10 in other cases. ‌In the⁣ initial⁣ challenge to the law’s constitutionality,⁤ state attorneys have argued the law poses no ⁢threat or harm to​ families ​because it ⁢lacks ​specific ​penalties for non-compliance.

Supporters of SB 10 contend the Ten Commandments ‍are historically significant and teach ‌students about American values, reflecting‍ a broader push by conservative ​groups to integrate Christian values into public life.​ However, historians⁢ and religious scholars have repeatedly debunked the claim that ⁣the united ⁣States was founded as a Christian nation.

AUSTIN, Texas – ⁤Texas Attorney General ​Ken paxton has⁣ filed a lawsuit against galveston Independent School District (Galveston ISD) for refusing to comply with Senate Bill 10 (SB​ 10), a state law⁤ requiring public schools ​to‍ display the ten commandments in classrooms. The legal action,announced Friday,underscores a growing legal ‍battle over the constitutionality of the ‍law and its ⁣implementation across Texas.

SB 10, signed into law earlier this year, mandates ‍the display of the Ten Commandments⁢ in a conspicuous place in each public school classroom.However,⁤ the law has faced immediate legal ⁢challenges, ⁣with more than⁤ a ‌dozen Texas families⁤ arguing it violates the separation of church​ and state and infringes upon their right to ⁤direct their children’s upbringing.

In ‌November, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery sided with the families, barring 11 school districts from enforcing ‍the law, calling it ⁤unconstitutional and stating it “crosses the line from exposure to coercion.” Biery ⁤predicted the ​case would likely reach ​the ‍U.S. Supreme Court.⁤ Arguments in both the⁣ Texas and Louisiana cases‌ challenging the law ​are ‍scheduled⁣ for a federal appeals‍ court in January.

Despite Biery’s ⁣ruling applying only to the 11 ⁤districts ⁢involved⁣ in the‌ initial lawsuit, Paxton ordered all other districts⁤ not engaged in litigation⁢ to display the​ Ten Commandments less than a ‍week after the judge’s decision.

“america is⁣ a ​Christian nation, and it is imperative that we display the very values and timeless‍ truths that have historically guided⁢ the success of our country,” Paxton stated‍ in a news release. He accused Galveston⁣ ISD of ​”blatantly ignore[ing] the Legislature and ⁣also ignore[ing] the legal ⁤and moral heritage of our nation” by refusing‍ to comply. Paxton ‌also asserted that the ⁢”separation of church and state” phrase does not appear in the Constitution.

The lawsuit against Galveston ISD comes as ⁣additional families have filed suits against 14 other​ school districts to halt implementation of SB 10, with a judge expected to‍ rule‌ on that⁢ case soon.

Supporters of SB 10 contend the ten Commandments are historically significant and teach students​ about American values, a ⁢position ‍echoed by conservative groups advocating for increased Christian ⁢influence in public life.⁣ However,historians and religious scholars have repeatedly debunked ​the claim that​ the United ⁣States ⁤was founded as a ‌Christian nation.

The state’s arguments defending SB 10 in the initial case‍ have focused ⁢on the claim that ⁤the law​ poses no ‌threat or harm to families as it lacks specific penalties for non-compliance. It remains unclear whether the lawsuit against Galveston ISD is consistent with those arguments.