Plaintiffs in Texas are suing over a law requiring the Ten Commandments in schools, citing First Amendment concerns.
SAN ANTONIO — On Friday a federal judge in San Antonio heard arguments in a lawsuit filed by parents from different religious backgrounds.
They’re suing several Texas school districts, including North East ISD, Alamo Heights ISD, and Northside ISD – challenging a new state law that requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in classrooms come September 1st.
Their goal is to convince the judge to block the law from taking effect while the case is being played out.
No decision was made Friday, but what happened in the courtroom was a complicated examination of how and if the Ten Commandments have fit into American history from the very beginning and whether they belong in public schools today.
The plaintiffs argue through an expert witness it is coercion to place the Ten Commandments in a specific font and poster size in schools.
And that it goes against the First Amendment – and that in the history of the United States, “one government must not prefer one religion over the other.”
They also cite other lawsuits that struck down similar laws as evidence that the mandate is unconstitutional.
The defense argues that all of American history has had the Ten Commandments embedded into it, one way or another.
They argue through an expert witness that the commandments are not rules to follow or a law to abide by, but to “remind students of a fundamental foundation.”
Of course, the exact opposite is being argued by the plaintiffs in this case, and we’re expecting to hear from them after court Friday.
They plan to pick the hearing up on Monday at 10 via Zoom.
But the judge says he will wait to make a final decision after Monday’s hearing.
He says he plans to have a ruling before September 1st.