Texas families ask Supreme Court to block law mandating Ten Commandments displays in classrooms
More than two dozen families from diverse faiths have filed a petition urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review Texas Senate Bill 10, which requires a Protestant version of the Ten Commandments in every public-school classroom.
Families spanning multiple religious traditions have asked the nation’s highest court to hear a challenge to Texas Senate Bill 10, which obliges public-school classrooms to permanently display a Protestant-derived Ten Commandments poster. The joint petition covers two parallel lawsuits—Nathan v. Alamo Heights Independent School District and Cribbs Ringer v. Comal Independent School District—and contends that the mandate violates both the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment.
Plaintiffs include Rabbi Joshua Fixler of Houston, Austin interfaith parents Rebekah and Ted Lowe, Dallas-area atheist Nichole Manning, and several other parents, all represented by the ACLU of Texas, the ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett providing pro bono legal services. After the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the law in a narrow vote, the families seek a Supreme Court review to protect parental control over religious instruction.
They argue the displays pressure children to conform to a state-favored faith and risk bullying and stigmatization. The filing underscores a broader national debate over the separation of church and state in public education.
Why it matters
The case could reshape how government-mandated religious symbols are treated in U.S. public schools.
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