Ken Paxton Defies Federal Injunction on Ten Commandments Displays

Paxton stated Monday that the vast majority of Texas school districts remain bound by state law, arguing that the preliminary injunction issued last week by U.S. District Judge Fred Biery applies only to the nine districts involved in the ongoing litigation. The attorney general vowed to continue his defense of the policy, framing the legal struggle as a broader fight against those he labeled "woke radicals" seeking to erase national history.

His position drew immediate fire from critics. Representative Joaquin Castro characterized the move as political grandstanding, asserting that the attorney general should focus on upholding the constitutional separation of church and state rather than stoking cultural tensions. The Freedom From Religion Foundation echoed this sentiment, arguing that the state’s mandate forces students into religious indoctrination, a stance that Judge Biery supported in his ruling by noting that such displays pressure pupils into specific religious observances. Despite the judicial pushback, Paxton maintains that all schools not explicitly named in the injunction must prepare to comply when the law takes effect on September 1, 2025.