Texas Senate passes bill to require Ten Commandments in public schools

AUSTIN - The Texas Senate passed a new bill that would require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms.

Texas Senate passes bill to display Ten Commandments in school

What Happened:

Senate Bill 10 passed by a 20-11 vote on Wednesday.

The vote was along party lines.

The bill was filed by Texas State Senator Phil King (R-Weatherford).

What's next:

It now moves to the Texas House, where the identical House Bill 2696 could go up for a vote.

The bill was labeled as a priority for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.

In 2023, a nearly identical bill passed the Senate, but was not put up for a vote in the House.

"I am optimistic that our new speaker, Dustin Burrows, will finally pass these important bills so they become law," wrote Patrick on social media shortly after the vote.

If the bill passes the House, it will move to Governor Greg Abbott's desk for approval.

Senate Bill 10

Dig deeper:

If passed, the bill would require schools to post a "durable poster or framed copy" of the Ten Commandments in every classroom.

The displayed copies would need to be at least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall and "in a size and typeface that is legible to a person with average vision from anywhere in the classroom."

The bill would mandate that schools that do not have posters that meet the requirements to accept donations or use public funds to replace them.

If passed, the bill would go into effect starting with the 2025-2026 school year. 

Is it legal?

FILE - The Ten Commandments monument erected in 1956 at Albert Lea's Central Park, sits nestled among a cluster of overgrown pine trees.  (DAVID BREWSTER/Star Tribune via Getty Images)

If the bill passes, it is almost certain to face legal challenges.

What they're saying:

Josh Blackman, a constitutional law professor at the South Texas College of Law, said there could be a chance a Ten Commandments law would hold up in court.

"The case law in the Supreme Court has changed over the last several decades. Recently, Louisiana passed a law providing for the posting of the Ten Commandments. A federal court held that that was unconstitutional. That ruling is now on appeal to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals," he said.

Critics argue that a Ten Commandments requirement would create inequality for other religious groups.

However, Blackman said a 2022 case in the U.S. Supreme Court upheld in Washington could give Texas lawmakers who support the proposal more confidence.

"The court held that you can have prayer for a football game, and if students don’t like it, they can, you know, look away and avert their eyes," Blackman said.