Texas Ten Commandments lawsuit: three mothers challenge classroom mandate
Three Houston-area mothers want a state court to remove Ten Commandments posters before Texas students return to class.
By Sal Moretti · Money Reporter
3 min read
Three Houston-area mothers have filed a Texas Ten Commandments lawsuit in Harris County, asking a state court to block the classroom-display mandate before the new school year begins.
Emily Roth, Audrey Rosa Nath and Sanjam Kaur Sohal are challenging Senate Bill 10, the 2025 law requiring public-school classrooms to show a specified King James Version text of the Ten Commandments. The women want the displays removed and are seeking court action before mid-August, according to The Texas Tribune.
The case does not decide whether the law is valid. It is a new state-law challenge after earlier federal litigation failed, so far, to stop broader enforcement of the mandate.
What does the Texas Ten Commandments lawsuit argue?
The mothers allege that SB 10 conflicts with the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the state’s voter-approved parental-rights amendment. Under the religious-freedom statute, government agencies may not substantially burden a person’s free exercise of religion, CBS News reported.
The parental-rights amendment protects a parent’s authority to make decisions about a child’s care, custody, control and upbringing. The plaintiffs argue that a required religious display in every classroom infringes those protections.
Their legal approach differs from the earlier cases, which mainly raised federal First Amendment objections involving religion and public schools. The Texas Tribune reported that the new suit was filed in Harris County, while Texas Standard and Houston Public Media reported it names the state and Houston ISD, Cy-Fair ISD and Spring Branch ISD among defendants.
What does Senate Bill 10 require?
SB 10 requires donated Ten Commandments posters in Texas public-school classrooms. The text must be the King James Version, displayed where it can be seen, and measure at least 16 by 20 inches, according to The Texas Tribune.
The mothers’ backgrounds differ. Roth is raising her children without religion; Nath’s family includes Jain, Hindu, Jewish and Quaker traditions; and Sohal is Sikh, according to a plaintiffs’ press release cited by The Texas Tribune.
What has happened in the earlier court fight?
A federal judge blocked the law for certain school districts in August 2025. But the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in spring 2026 that SB 10 could be enforced, The Texas Tribune reported. CBS News said attorneys in the separate federal case planned to seek U.S. Supreme Court review.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has said biblical texts are part of the nation’s heritage and history. Lawyers in his office have also argued that the posters are not coercive because students can disregard them, according to The Texas Tribune.
No ruling in the Harris County case was reported. Its immediate target is the start of the school year, with the plaintiffs asking the court to order the displays taken down before classes begin.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.