A federal judge on Wednesday ruled to temporarily block a new law that would require Texas public schools to post the Ten Commandments in classrooms.

U.S. District Judge Fred Biery rules the law, set to take effect Sept. 1, is unconstitutional, and allowed lawsuits opposing it to proceed.

I n surprising fashion, a federal judge in San Antonio on Wednesday morning temporarily blocked a new state law requiring public schools to display a poster of the Ten Commandments in every classroom in Texas. U.S. District Judge Fred Biery issued his 55-page ruling that described the law as coercive and unconstitutional.