Texas families file class action lawsuit over law mandating Ten Commandments in schools
Texas families, backed by the ACLU, are suing to remove mandatory Ten Commandments posters from public schools, citing First Amendment violations.Summary
A new class action lawsuit has been filed in Texas challenging a state law (SB 10) requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in all public school classrooms. The lawsuit, brought by 18 families and supported by the American Civil Liberties Union and other religious freedom organizations, argues that the law violates the First Amendment rights of students. The plaintiffs object to being “forced to observe and venerate a state-mandated version of the Ten Commandments.”
This lawsuit joins two similar cases already underway in Texas, with one judge previously issuing a preliminary injunction ordering some school districts – including those in Fort Worth, McKinney, and Frisco – to remove the posters. A similar law in Louisiana has already been ruled unconstitutional by a federal district court, a decision currently being appealed to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which also covers Texas. The Fifth Circuit has agreed to hear the case en banc, with arguments scheduled for next month.
The outcome of the Louisiana case and the ongoing Texas lawsuits could ultimately reach the Supreme Court, potentially setting a national precedent regarding the display of religious texts in public schools. The Texas lawsuit seeks class action status on behalf of the state’s 5.5 million public school students and asks the judge to block all Texas school districts from enforcing SB 10.
(Source：CBS News)