Houston mothers sue to remove Ten Commandments posters from Texas classrooms

Emily Roth, Audrey Rosa Nath and Sanjam Kaur Sohal, three Houston mothers, have sued the state of Texas to halt the display of Ten Commandments posters required by Senate Bill 10 in public school classrooms. Their complaint, filed in Harris County, invokes the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the recently adopted Proposition 15, asserting that the mandatory posters burden their children’s free exercise of religion and parental rights.

The lawsuit seeks a court order to remove the 16-by-20-inch King James Version posters before the upcoming school term starts in mid-August. This action follows prior litigation, including a 2025 district-court block by Judge Fred Biery and a Fifth Circuit ruling that later permitted enforcement of the law, which has also influenced similar legislation in Louisiana. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has argued that the posters are historical and non-coercive, but the plaintiffs, whose families span secular, Jain, Hindu, Jewish, Quaker, and Sikh traditions, say the displays alienate students of other faiths. Lead counsel Megan Hassan emphasized that the families simply want a neutral classroom environment, not a prolonged legal battle.