The Texas State Senate has approved a bill that requires public schools to prominently display the Ten Commandments in every classroom.
This bill passed in the state senate by a 17-12 vote and will next move to the state’s House of Representatives, where it is expected to pass.
State Sen. Phil King (R), who authored the bill, stated that displaying the Ten Commandments acknowledge “the role that fundamental religious documents and principles had in American heritage and law.” He remarked that this new bill is a direct response to the Supreme Court’s decision last June in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, in which the justices backed a high school football coach who prayed with students during and after games.
“This legislation only became legally feasible with the Supreme Court’s overturning of the Lemon Test,” King said at the committee hearing, referring to a standard used to determine if a law violates the U.S. Constitution’s establishment clause. “I think this would be a good healthy step for Texas to bring back this tradition of recognizing America’s religious heritage.”
