Texas passed Senate Bill 10, a law requiring public schools to display a specific version of the Ten Commandments in every classroom. The law’s effective date was September 1, 2025. In response, a group of families from various religious and nonreligious backgrounds filed suit, led by Rabbi Mara Nathan, a parent in the Alamo Heights Independent School District.
Rabbi Mara Nathan and the other Plaintiffs requested that the Court to preliminarily enjoin the implementation of SB 10, a Texas statute requiring the posting of the allegedly Protestant version of the Ten Commandments in Texas public schools, arguing that the statute violates the United States Constitution. The Government schools and the Attorney General of Texas argued the statute is constitutional and that the preliminary injunction should be denied. The State moved to dismiss Plaintiffs’ complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction and failure to state a claim.
On August 20, 2025, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery issued a preliminary injunction blocking the law from being enforced in 11 Texas school districts. The court found that the mandated displays likely violated the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause by promoting a particular religious doctrine—specifically, a Protestant version of the Ten Commandments. The ruling emphasized that public schools are not religious institutions and that the law could coerce students into religious observance, infringing on their and their families’ rights.
The plaintiffs were represented by the ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the Freedom from Religion Foundation, and private counsel. The injunction applies to districts including Alamo Heights ISD, Houston ISD, Austin ISD, and others.
The case is Nathan v. Alamo Heights Indep., No. SA-25-CV-00756-FB, 2025 WL 2417589 (W.D. Tex. Aug. 20, 2025)
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