Federal Court Orders Texas School Districts to Remove Ten Commandments Classroom Displays

"Simpson Thacher, alongside the ACLU, ACLU of Texas, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, represented families in a dozen Texas school districts and secured a preliminary injunction in Cribbs Ringer v. Comal ISD requiring defendant districts to remove Ten Commandments displays by Dec. 1 and barring new postings under Senate Bill 10."

Simpson Thacher, alongside the ACLU, ACLU of Texas, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, represented families in a dozen Texas school districts challenging the state law requiring Ten Commandments displays in public school classrooms. A federal district court in San Antonio issued a preliminary injunction in Cribbs Ringer v. Comal Independent School District requiring the defendant districts to remove Ten Commandments displays by Dec. 1 and prohibiting them from posting new displays. In his November 18, 2025 order, District Court Judge Orlando L. Garcia concluded that displaying the Ten Commandments in a public school classroom as required by Senate Bill 10 violates the Establishment Clause. The lawsuit was brought after the defendant districts installed or were about to install Ten Commandments posters despite an earlier August 20 order by District Court Judge Fred Biery in Rabbi Nathan v. Alamo Heights ISD, in which he described the Texas law requiring the displays as plainly unconstitutional. Simpson Thacher represented the families in a dozen school districts with a team composed by: Jonathan Youngwood, Janet Gochman, Noah Gimbel, Jordan Krieger, Avia Gridi, Kristen Crow, Noah Manthorne Huffman, Victoria Wang, and Griselda Cabrera.

Federal Court Orders Texas School Districts to Remove Ten Commandments Classroom Displays

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