The Rutherford County Board of Education became the first district in Tennessee to approve the display of the Ten Commandments last week, when it unanimously adopted a motion following the recent successful efforts in Texas and other nearby states.
“I’d like to make a motion that we put the Ten Commandments back in our schools,” said board member Butch Vaughn during the members’ Thursday meeting. “I noticed in the State of Texas, they’ve approved it. A lot of states around us are approving that, and I think now is the time, because that’s what our whole country was based on.”
Vaughn added, “I just think we need to put them back in the schools, and it’s something that we need to do as a school board.”
The motion was adopted the same day the Tennessee General Assembly passed legislation that will enable school districts to display the Ten Commandments, as well as the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Tennessee Constitution, once signed into law by Governor Bill Lee.
Tennessee is the latest to adopt legislation regarding the display of such materials at schools following the 2022 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, which abandoned precedent related to the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, largely set in the 1960s, in favor of examining “historical practices and understandings” surrounding the display of specific materials.
Since then, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas have passed bills that mandate the display of the Ten Commandments.
While Arkansas’ legislation was permanently blocked by a federal judge in March, the legislation passed in Texas was upheld earlier this month by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, though the court did impose requirements for the displayed materials to be donated. Experts say the case is likely headed for the Supreme Court.
Tennessee State Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon), who sponsored the version of the legislation that passed the State Senate, previously urged his colleagues to adopt a stricter version of the bill based on a legal opinion granted in Texas, according to WKRN, which reported that he predicted a lawsuit would be filed shortly after the first Tennessee school district adopts such a policy.
According to WKRN, lawmakers in the State House instead adopted language approved by Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, who State Representative Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville) told the outlet will represent the state in the event of a lawsuit.
Amid debate about the Ten Commandments, Skrmetti recently weighed in on the Establishment Clause after a Nashville high school offered a series of accommodations to Muslim students during Ramadan, which included the issuance of more than 80 electronic hall passes for Muslims to leave class in order to pray at a reserved area.
“The basic civil rights laws that apply to education don’t cover religious discrimination, so there may be some other state laws, we’ll find out, but it fundamentally goes to the difference between the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause,” said Skrmetti during an appearance on The Michael Patrick Leahy Show earlier this month.
Skrmetti explained that while the Free Exercise Clause prohibits blocking an individual from practicing their religion, the Establishment Clause has been interpreted by the courts to mean, “the state can’t participate in promoting particular religious viewpoints.”
He added, “So if the school is dedicating resources to something, that’s a very different situation than if the students are self-organizing.”
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Come one Sumner County school board. I realize that the majority of you are of a liberal bent BUT vote to display the Ten Commandments. in our schools.