Federal judge orders Arlington, Fort Worth ISDs to remove Ten Commandments displays

Source: KERA Dallas, TX/NPR

Published November 18, 2025 at 4:32 PM CST


A federal judge on Tuesday ordered several Texas school districts to remove Ten Commandments displays from classrooms, issuing the ruling in a lawsuit brought by families who argue the postings violate the Constitution’s ban on government-endorsed religion.

U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia temporarily blocked 14 districts from enforcing Senate Bill 10, the new state law requiring public schools to display the biblical text in classrooms. Garcia wrote that it would be “impractical, if not impossible” to protect students from “unwelcome religious displays” without halting enforcement of the law.

The districts must remove the displays by Dec. 1, and the order will remain in effect while the case continues. This applies only to the districts named in the lawsuit, but the groups behind the case are urging all Texas school districts to avoid displaying the Ten Commandments.

“Today’s ruling is yet another affirmation of what Texans already know: The First Amendment guarantees families and faith communities — not the government — the right to instill religious beliefs in our children,” said Chloe Kempf, attorney for the ACLU of Texas. “Every school district in Texas is now on notice that implementing S.B. 10 violates their students’ constitutional rights.”

Read more: https://www.keranews.org/texas-news/2025-11-18/texas-ten-commandments-sb10-schools