Notre Dame scholars urge Supreme Court to reject Texas Ten Commandments law

Religious liberty scholars from the University of Notre Dame are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down a Texas law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms. In an amicus filing submitted September 28, scholars with the Lindsay and Matt Moroun Religious Liberty Clinic at Notre Dame Law School argued that the high court should take the case to provide guidance on the First Amendment's establishment clause.

The law, signed by Governor Greg Abbott in June 2025, requires a durable poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments to be hung in every Texas public elementary and secondary school classroom. While U.S. District Judge Fred Biery blocked the measure in August 2025, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals later upheld the law, ruling that it does not violate the First Amendment.

The Notre Dame scholars argued that the law forces state-sponsored religious instruction on children and violates Supreme Court precedent. The filing claims the state rule guarantees students are coerced into religious instruction to teach government-approved religious truth. The scholars also stated that the appeals court ruling misstates the history of the First Amendment and endangers religious freedom.