Federal judge blocks Texas Ten Commandments law, calls Christianity one of the ‘desert religions’

August 21, 2025

A federal judge in San Antonio has issued a temporary injunction blocking a Texas law that would have required a display of the Ten Commandments in every classroom throughout the state.

The Christian Post reports that U.S. District Judge Fred Biery struck down the requirement, temporarily preventing 11 Texas school districts from displaying the Ten Commandments.

Biery’s 55-page ruling marks the third time that a federal court has struck down this type of state-level requirement, following similar rulings in Louisiana and Kentucky.

Biery maintains that such a display could infringe on a student’s right to a secular education by leading to unintended religious discussions in the classroom.

In his ruling, Biery wrote, “even though the Ten Commandments would not be affirmatively taught, the captive audience of students likely would have questions, which teachers would feel compelled to answer. That is what they do.”

According to the Christian Post, the judge also expressed concern that the law mandating display of the Ten Commandments “crosses the line from exposure to coercion,” and that public displays of the Ten Commandments “are likely to send an exclusionary and spiritually burdensome message.”

The case is now expected to move to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which struck down a similar law in Louisiana in June.

The matter could potentially advance to the U.S. Supreme Court where a 6-3 conservative majority could redefine the limits of church-state separation.

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