Attor­ney Gen­er­al Ken Pax­ton Instructs Texas Schools to Dis­play the Ten Com­mand­ments in Accor­dance with Texas Law

Attorney General Ken Paxton issued the following statement directing all Texas Independent School Districts (ISDs) not enjoined by ongoing litigation to display copies of the Ten Commandments once Senate Bill 10 takes effect on September 1, 2025. 

“From the beginning, the Ten Commandments have been irrevocably intertwined with America’s legal, moral, and historical heritage,” said Attorney General Paxton. “Schools not enjoined by ongoing litigation must abide by S.B. 10 and display the Ten Commandments. The woke radicals seeking to erase our nation’s history will be defeated. I will not back down from defending the virtues and values that built this country.” 

S.B. 10 requires any public or secondary school to display the Ten Commandments in each classroom. While no school is compelled to purchase Ten Commandments displays, schools may choose to do so. However, schools must accept and display any privately donated posters or copies that meet the requirements of S.B. 10. Prior to the implementation of the law, activists sued several ISDs to stop the law. On August 20, a federal district court judge issued a preliminary injunction preventing the ISDs that are party to the litigation from displaying any copies of the Ten Commandments. Attorney General Paxton immediately appealed that flawed ruling. 

The only school districts affected by the injunction are Alamo Heights, North East, Cypress Fairbanks, Lackland, Lake Travis, Fort Bend, Dripping Springs, Plano, and Northside. All other ISDs must abide by the law once it takes effect on September 1, 2025.