Texas battle over Ten Commandments heats up with lawsuits from both sides 

A federal judge issued a temporary injunction Tuesday against a Texas law requiring schools to display donated copies of the Ten Commandments, saying the law violates the First Amendment’s establishment clause. 

This brings the total number of Texas districts that have obtained an injunction to more than two dozen, the Associated Press reported, out of nearly 1,200 public school districts statewide. 

But that same day, Attorney General Ken Paxton sued two other school districts for noncompliance with the law, indicating the legal battle will continue to blaze. 

“These rogue ISD officials and board members blatantly disregarded the will of Texas voters who expect the legal and moral heritage of our state to be displayed in accordance with the law,” Paxton said in a release. 

“Round Rock ISD and Leander ISD chose to defy a clear statutory mandate, and this lawsuit makes clear that no district may ignore Texas law without consequence.” 

The controversy stems from a new law, approved earlier this year, requiring all districts to display donated copies of the biblical commandments. Paxton previously sued the Galveston school district for noncompliance, but other districts have challenged the law’s constitutionality in court. 

Many districts are complying, but others are waiting for the legal situation to resolve, according to media reports. 

Laws requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in schools in Louisiana and Arkansas also have faced court challenges. The issue is widely expected to end up at the U.S. Supreme Court.