Latest news with #FredBiery
News18
23 minutes ago
- Politics
- News18
US Federal Judge Blocks Texas Law Requiring Display Of Ten Commandments In Schools
Last Updated: The ruling comes as a victory for a coalition of families and civil liberties groups who argued that the law violates the constitutional separation of church and state A United States federal judge has issued a temporary block on a new Texas law that would mandate the display of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom. The ruling comes as a victory for a coalition of families and civil liberties groups who argued that the law violates the constitutional separation of church and state. US District Judge Fred Biery, in a detailed 55-page ruling, granted a preliminary injunction against the law, which was set to take effect on September 1. The lawsuit was filed by families of diverse religious and nonreligious backgrounds, including Christian, Jewish, Hindu, and Unitarian Universalist parents, who claimed that the law infringed upon the First Amendment's protections for religious freedom. Victory for religious freedom in Texas. A federal judge halted the law forcing the Ten Commandments into every public school classroom—a bill we and our TX constituents fought hard against. No child should feel pressured to adopt a state-favored religion. — Hindu American Foundation (@HinduAmerican) August 20, 2025 Judge Biery's decision highlighted that while the Ten Commandments might not be actively taught, their permanent display in a 'captive audience" setting like a classroom would likely pressure students into religious observance and raise questions that teachers would feel compelled to answer. He wrote that such a mandate would 'impermissibly take sides on theological questions and officially favor Christian denominations over others". The ruling also noted that the specific version of the commandments required by the law differs from those of some other faiths, creating an exclusionary message. The ruling has been hailed as a major win by groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, and the Hindu American Foundation. They argue that public schools are for 'educating, not evangelising". Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has defended the law, called the ruling 'flawed" and has announced plans to appeal. The case is part of a broader legal battle in the US, with similar laws in Louisiana and Arkansas also having been blocked by courts. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Loading comments...
Time of India
25 minutes ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Separation of church and state tested again as Texas' classroom Ten Commandments law stalls
Texas' latest attempt to bring religion directly into public school classrooms has hit a judicial roadblock. According to the Associated Press , a federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked the state's requirement that every public school classroom display the Ten Commandments, marking the third time in recent months that such a law has been halted by the courts. The law, set to go into effect on September 1, was challenged by Dallas-area families and faith leaders, who argued that it violated the First Amendment. They pointed to the clause guaranteeing separation of church and state, as well as the right to free religious exercise. What are the Ten Commandments? The Ten Commandments are a set of biblical principles found in the Old Testament, primarily in the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy. They include directives such as honoring one's parents, keeping the Sabbath, prohibiting theft, lying, adultery, murder, and worship of other gods. For Jewish and Christian traditions, they represent core moral and religious teachings. In American debates, they are often invoked both as a symbol of faith and as a claimed foundation for aspects of the legal system. A sweeping order and a symbolic ending In a 55-page ruling, US District Judge Fred Biery of San Antonio sided with the plaintiffs. Quoting the First Amendment at the beginning and signing off with the word 'Amen,' Biery underscored the weight of the decision. He noted that while the law did not explicitly require teaching the Ten Commandments, it would inevitably pull teachers into religious discussions. '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,' Biery wrote, as reported by AP . The lawsuit named the Texas Education Agency, state education Commissioner Mike Morath, and three Dallas-area school districts as defendants. Part of a wider legal fight Texas is not alone in pursuing this path. According to AP, earlier this year, Louisiana became the first state to mandate that classrooms display the Ten Commandments. But in June, a panel of three federal appellate judges ruled that law unconstitutional. Arkansas faced similar resistance; a judge there blocked four school districts from putting up the posters, and other districts have chosen not to display them at all. Civil liberties groups see these rulings as major victories in protecting constitutional boundaries. Yet AP notes that the Texas case is unlikely to end here. With deep-pocketed support from conservative and religious groups, the fight is expected to move through appeals and could ultimately reach the US Supreme Court. Tradition VS constitutional boundaries Supporters of the Texas law argue that the Ten Commandments are not just religious scripture but also a historic cornerstone of the nation's legal and educational systems. They point to Texas' own Capitol grounds, where a Ten Commandments monument has stood since winning a Supreme Court case in 2005. 'The Ten Commandments are part of the foundation of our judicial system,' conservative groups argue, framing the display as cultural rather than doctrinal, as reported by AP . Opponents counter that such laws blur lines between state and religion in ways the Constitution explicitly forbids. For teachers, as Judge Biery observed, the presence of these posters could force religious conversations in classrooms that are meant to serve diverse student bodies. What lies ahead Friday's ruling has slowed Texas' push, but AP reports that it is likely just one battle in a much larger war over religion in public spaces. The symbolic stakes are high: conservatives see the Ten Commandments as reclaiming cultural heritage, while civil liberties advocates see them as a breach of constitutional protections. In this courtroom clash, the meaning of the First Amendment is being tested yet again — and the final word, many believe, will come from the highest court in the land. (with AP inputs) TOI Education is on WhatsApp now. Follow us here. Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
The Guardian
an hour ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Texas can't require public schools to display Ten Commandments in class, judge rules
Texas cannot require public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom, a judge said on Wednesday in a temporary ruling against the state's new requirement, making it the third such state law to be blocked by a court. A group of Dallas-area families and faith leaders sought a preliminary injunction against the law, which goes into effect on 1 September. They say the requirement violates the first amendment's protections for the separation of church and state and the right to free religious exercise. Texas is the largest state to attempt such a requirement, and US district judge Fred Biery's ruling from San Antonio is the latest in a widening legal fight that's expected to eventually go before the US supreme court. '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,' Biery wrote in the 55-page ruling that began with quoting the first amendment and ended with 'Amen'. '[T]he displays are likely to pressure the child-Plaintiffs into religious observance, meditation on, veneration, and adoption of the State's favored religious scripture, and into suppressing expression of their own religious or nonreligious background and beliefs while at school.' Biery continued: 'There is also insufficient evidence of a broader tradition of using the Ten Commandments in public education, and there is no tradition of permanently displaying the Ten Commandments in public-school classrooms. There are ways in which students could be taught any relevant history of the Ten Commandments without the state selecting an official version of scripture, approving it in state law, and then displaying it in every classroom on a permanent basis.' The lawsuit names the Texas education agency, state education commissioner Mike Morath and three Dallas-area school districts as defendants. Hailing the preliminary injunction, plaintiff Rabbi Mara Nathan said: 'As a rabbi and public school parent, I welcome this ruling. Children's religious beliefs should be instilled by parents and faith communities, not politicians and public schools.' Heather Weaver, senior counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union's Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief, echoed similar sentiments. 'Public schools are not Sunday schools. Today's decision ensures that our clients' schools will remain spaces where all students, regardless of their faith, feel welcomed and can learn without worrying that they do not live up to the state's preferred religious beliefs,' Weaver said. Meanwhile, Freedom From Religion Foundation co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor said: 'Religious instruction must be left to parents, not the state, which has no business telling anyone how many gods to have, which gods to have or whether to have any gods at all.' Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion A federal appeals court has blocked a similar law in Louisiana, and a judge in Arkansas told four districts they cannot put up the posters, although other districts in the state said they're not putting them up either. Although Friday's ruling marked a major win for civil liberties groups who say the law violates the separation of church and state, the legal battle is likely far from over. Religious groups and conservatives say the Ten Commandments are part of the foundation of the United States's judicial and educational systems and should be displayed. Texas has a Ten Commandments monument on the Capitol grounds and won a 2005 supreme court case that upheld the monument. In Louisiana – the first state that mandated the Ten Commandments be displayed in classrooms – a panel of three appellate judges in June ruled that the law was unconstitutional.
Al Jazeera
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
US court blocks Texas law requiring Ten Commandments in school classrooms
A United States federal judge has granted a temporary block against a Texas law that would require the Ten Commandments from the Christian Bible to be displayed in the classrooms of every public school. On Wednesday, US District Judge Fred Biery issued a preliminary injunction against Texas's Senate Bill 10, which was slated to take effect on September 1. Texas would have become the largest state to impose such a requirement on public schools. But Judge Biery's decision falls in line with two other court decisions over the past month: one in Arkansas and one in Louisiana, both of which ruled such laws are unconstitutional. Biery's decision opens by citing the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which bars the government from passing laws 'respecting an establishment of religion'. That clause underpins the separation of church and state in the US. The judge then argues that even 'passive' displays of the Ten Commandments would risk injecting religious discourse into the classroom, thereby violating that separation. '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,' Biery wrote. 'Teenage boys, being the curious hormonally driven creatures they are, might ask: 'Mrs. Walker, I know about lying and I love my parents, but how do I do adultery?' Truly an awkward moment for overworked and underpaid educators, who already have to deal with sex education issues.' Biery's decision, however, only applies the 11 school districts represented among the defendants, including Alamo Heights, Houston, Austin, Fort Bend and Plano. The case stemmed from a complaint made by several parents of school-aged their children, who were represented by groups including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Americans United for Separation of Church and State. One of the plaintiffs was a San Antonio rabbi, Mara Nathan, who felt the version of the Ten Commandments slated to be displayed ran contrary to Jewish teachings. She applauded Wednesday's injunction in a statement released by the ACLU. 'Children's religious beliefs should be instilled by parents and faith communities, not politicians and public schools,' Nathan said. Other plaintiffs included Christian families who feared the schoolhouse displays of the Ten Commandments would lead to the teaching of religious interpretations and concepts they might object to. The Texas state government, however, has argued that the Ten Commandments symbolise an important part of US culture and therefore should be a mandatory presence in schools. 'The Ten Commandments are a cornerstone of our moral and legal heritage, and their presence in classrooms serves as a reminder of the values that guide responsible citizenship,' Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement. He pledged to appeal Wednesday's ruling. But in his 55-page decision, Judge Biery, who was appointed by Democratic President Bill Clinton in 1994, drew on a range of cultural references — from Christian scripture to the 1970s pop duo Sonny and Cher and the actress Greta Garbo — to sketch a history of the dangers of imposing religion on the public. 'The displays are likely to pressure the child-Plaintiffs into religious observance, meditation on, veneration, and adoption of the State's favored religious scripture,' Biery wrote at one point. He also said such displays risk 'suppressing expression of [the children's] own religious or nonreligious backgrounds and beliefs while at school'. Biery even offered a winking, personal anecdote to illustrate the power that governments can hold over the adoption of religion. 'Indeed, forty years ago a Methodist preacher told a then much younger judge, 'Fred, if you had been born in Tibet, you would be a Buddhist,'' Biery wrote. A separate federal case involving Dallas area schools is also challenging the Ten Commandment requirement. It names the Texas Education Agency as a defendant. Such cases are likely to eventually reach the Supreme Court, which currently has a six-to-three conservative supermajority and has shown sympathy for cases of religious displays. In the 2022 case Kennedy v Bremerton School District, for instance, the Supreme Court sided with a high school football coach who argued he had the right to hold post-game prayers, despite fears that such practices could violate the First Amendment. The coach had been fired for his actions. Judge Biery concluded Wednesday's decision with a nod to how controversial such cases can be. But he appealed for common understanding with a prayer-like flourish. 'For those who disagree with the Court's decision and who would do so with threats, vulgarities and violence, Grace and Peace unto you,' Biery wrote. 'May humankind of all faiths, beliefs and non-beliefs be reconciled one to another. Amen.'
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas classrooms won't have to display the Ten Commandments — for now
In news that's being hailed as a win for religious freedom advocates — but also has major implications for public school parents — the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas issued a preliminary injunction Wednesday halting the state's enactment of legislation that requires all public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments. Texas Senate Bill 10 was slated to take effect September 1, but U.S. District Court Judge Fred Biery has temporarily blocked the law, citing the likelihood of it infringing upon the First Amendment's Establishment and Free Exercise clauses. While the Establishment clause bars the government from forcing a specific religious doctrine on the public, the Free Exercise clause safeguards individuals' rights to observe their religious faith free of government influence. In Rabbi Nathan v. Alamo Heights Independent School District, Judge Biery ruled that SB 10 could cause students to experience unconstitutional religious coercion and violate their parents' rights to guide their religious instruction. Displays of the Ten Commandments in classrooms, he stated, 'are likely to pressure the child-Plaintiffs into religious observance, meditation on, veneration, and adoption of the State's favored religious scripture, and into suppressing expression of their own religious or nonreligious background and beliefs while at school.' Rabbi Mara Nathan, the lead plaintiff in the case, said in a statement that, as both a faith leader and public school parent, she welcomed the ruling. 'Children's religious beliefs should be instilled by parents and faith communities, not politicians and public schools,' she said. The plaintiffs in the case are public school parents from Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Unitarian Universalist and nonreligious backgrounds. The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, the national ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Freedom from Religion Foundation represented the families, with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP participating as pro bono counsel. 'Today's decision will ensure that Texas families — not politicians or public-school officials — get to decide how and when their children engage with religion,' said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of the nonprofit Americans United for Separation of Church and State, in a statement. 'It sends a strong and resounding message across the country that the government respects the religious freedom of every student in our public schools.' Religious freedom advocates have argued that blurring the lines between church-state separation in public schools not only marginalizes students from religious minority groups but may also send harmful messages to girls and students of color. The 10th commandment states, for example: 'You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.' This scripture alone could be viewed as framing women as solely the property of others, no different from livestock, be they wives or servants. The Bible has also been used to justify enslavement, which the final commandment also alludes to — an ideological argument that could cause psychological or emotional harm to students whose ancestors were enslaved. More broadly, biblical scriptures that take aim at fornication and same-sex relations have been criticized for instilling shame in youth and adults who have sex before marriage or are LGBTQ+. 'Public schools are not Sunday schools,' said Heather L. Weaver, senior counsel for the ACLU's Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief, in a statement. 'Today's decision ensures that our clients' schools will remain spaces where all students, regardless of their faith, feel welcomed and can learn without worrying that they do not live up to the state's preferred religious beliefs.' Texas is not alone in its failed bid to display the Ten Commandments in all public school classrooms. In November, a federal judge blocked Louisiana's attempt to blur church-state separation in this way. In June, a group of Maryland parents on the opposite side of the political spectrum emerged victorious when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that they could object to LGBTQ+ picture books in their children's classrooms on religious grounds. The ruling has sparked fears that parents will cite their religious beliefs to wield more power over the public school curriculum nationwide. The post Texas classrooms won't have to display the Ten Commandments — for now appeared first on The 19th. News that represents you, in your inbox every weekday. Subscribe to our free, daily newsletter. Solve the daily Crossword
