Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Friday announced a lawsuit against the Galveston Independent School District for refusing to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms, a move he said defends both state law and America’s “moral heritage.”
“I sued Galveston ISD after it refused to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms,” Paxton wrote on social media. “By refusing to follow the law, Galveston ISD chose to both blatantly ignore the Legislature and also ignore the legal and moral heritage of our nation.”
The lawsuit centers on Senate Bill 10, a measure passed earlier this year requiring all public school classrooms in Texas to display the Ten Commandments beginning with the 2025–2026 school year. Supporters of the law, including Paxton, argue that the Ten Commandments are a foundational document of Western civilization and reflect the moral framework that shaped the nation’s founding principles.
Opponents, including the American Civil Liberties Union, have sued to block the measure, claiming it violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Civil liberties groups argue the law blurs the line between church and state. Paxton and other conservatives counter that the First Amendment does not require the erasure of religion from public life.
The lawsuit marks Paxton’s latest effort to defend state sovereignty and challenge what he and many Texas Republicans see as judicial overreach by federal courts in matters of faith and education.
The announcement came amid personal upheaval for the attorney general, whose wife, State Senator Angela Paxton, revealed in July that she had filed for divorce after 38 years of marriage. In a statement shared on social media, she said she was ending the marriage on “biblical grounds.”
“Today, after 38 years of marriage, I filed for divorce on biblical grounds,” she wrote. “I believe marriage is a sacred covenant and I have earnestly pursued reconciliation. But in light of recent discoveries, I do not believe that it honors God or is loving to myself, my children, or Ken to remain in the marriage.”
Angela Paxton cited adultery—the Seventh Commandment in Exodus 20:14—as the reason for her filing. She expressed faith that “God is always working everything together for the good of those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose.”
Ken Paxton responded with his own statement on X, saying, “After facing the pressures of countless political attacks and public scrutiny, Angela and I have decided to start a new chapter in our lives. I could not be any more proud or grateful for the incredible family that God has blessed us with.”
Despite his personal challenges, Paxton’s legal actions continue to draw support from conservatives who view his efforts as a defense of faith, tradition, and the rule of law—values they argue have long defined Texas and the nation itself.
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