by Jayla Ward • 2 minutes
First Liberty recently sent a letter to 1,200 Texas school superintendents encouraging them to implement a law that requires public schools to post the Ten Commandments.
You can read the full letter here.
“The Supreme Court settled this debate. Displays such as the Ten Commandments that are part of the history and tradition of America are presumed to be constitutional,” said Kelly Shackelford, President & CEO at First Liberty. “Displaying the Ten Commandments—a symbol of law and moral conduct with both religious and secular significance—is a longstanding national tradition as a matter of law.”
First Liberty, along with our former client Coach Joe Kennedy, testified in support of displaying the Ten Commandments at the Texas Legislature.
After Gov. Greg Abbot signed the bill into law, radical groups sued in court challenging its constitutionality. Last month, a single federal district court judge prohibited 11 Texas school districts from implementing it. This decision was based on a precedent that was overturned by the landmark Supreme Court rulings in our Coach Kennedy and Bladensburg Peace Cross cases.
“We are extremely disappointed federal courts continue to defy Supreme Court precedent by striking down constitutional statutes that require the posting of the Ten Commandments in schools,” said Matt Krause, a legal advisor to First Liberty.
Our letter explains that school districts can confidently comply with the law, because Supreme Court precedent recognizes that the Ten Commandments are part of our country’s religious heritage and embody the best of our nation’s history and traditions.
“The informed decision of the Texas Legislature in passing S.B. 10 clearly intends to rest on the side of respecting our nation’s historical tradition and retain its familiarity as important to the civic life of its students and the state itself,” our letter states.
We also point out that if school districts were to remove the posters, the action could be considered hostile toward religion.
“You should resist calls to tear down such posters, lest you demonstrate a hostility toward religion at odds with our nation’s historical commitments, state law, Supreme Court precedent, and the Constitution itself,” our letter states.
First Liberty also informs school district leaders that if they encounter any additional legal challenges, “the Attorney General of Texas has reaffirmed his statutory commitment to defend your school district against such legal attacks.”
Thanks to First Liberty’s Supreme Court victories, we’re witnessing a national movement unfold, where Texas and other states are passing laws allowing schools to display the Ten Commandments and other testimonies to America’s religious heritage, such as the national motto, “In God We Trust.”
But our opponents are relentless. Each effort to advance religious liberty is being met with resistance and lawsuits. Many of these groups are incredibly well-funded—and you can be sure their attacks will not stop anytime soon. This is a fight that will only intensify.
First Liberty will continue to fight until these cases are resolved and the Ten Commandments are posted in schools throughout the nation.
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