22
Jun
Jun
TEXAS GOVERNOR SIGNS LAW REQUIRING TEN COMMANDMENTS DISPLAY IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
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CapitalTimesNews / 1 month
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Texas Governor Greg Abbott has signed a new law that requires all public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments. The law, which is expected to draw a legal challenge, makes Texas the largest state to attempt to impose such a mandate. According to the law, public schools must post a 16-by-20-inch poster or framed copy of a specific English version of the Ten Commandments in classrooms. Supporters of the law say that the Ten Commandments are part of the foundation of the United States’ judicial and educational systems and should be displayed. “This bill is to look at what is historically important to our nation educationally and judicially,” said Republican state representative Candy Noble, a co-sponsor of the bill. However, opponents argue that the law infringes on others’ religious freedom and is unconstitutional. A letter signed by dozens of Christian and Jewish faith leaders opposing the bill noted that Texas has thousands of students of other faiths who might have no connection to the Ten Commandments. The law is likely to face a legal challenge, with critics arguing that it violates the separation of church and state. A similar law in Louisiana was blocked by a federal appeals court, which ruled that it was unconstitutional. Abbott also signed a bill that allows school districts to provide students and staff a daily voluntary period of prayer or time to read a religious text during school hours. The move is part of a broader effort in conservative-led states to insert religion into public schools. In 2005, Abbott, who was state attorney general at the time, successfully argued before the Supreme Court that Texas could keep a Ten Commandments monument on the grounds of its Capitol. The new law is likely to spark a similar debate over the role of religion in public institutions.
