GOP-led Ten Commandments plan for schools dealt a major blow by Texas judge

A federal judge in Texas dealt a major blow to a Republican-led effort that seeks to require public schools to post the Ten Commandments.

Judge Fred Biery issued a preliminary injunction on Wednesday blocking Senate Bill 10, which would place a 16-by-20-inch poster or framed English copy of the Ten Commandments in every classroom. Gov. Greg Abbott signed the bill into law in June.

The judge found the law likely violates the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment. In doing so, he sided with families of various faith backgrounds who challenged the law on the grounds that it would impose religious doctrine on students in public schools and violate parents' rights.

"[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 said, according to CBS News.

Ken Paxton, the MAGA Texas attorney general, has vowed to appeal.

"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 will always defend our right to uphold the foundational principles that have built this nation, and I will absolutely be appealing this flawed decision," Paxton said in a statement.

The law was set to go into effect on Sept. 1.

Similar efforts are underway in other states as well, including Louisiana.