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Ten Commandments rise again in Texas

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- A bill introduced in Texas letting teachers display the Ten Commandments in public schools would again test church-state laws if passed, observers say.

Republican state Rep. Dan Flynn recently filed a bill providing that school districts cannot prevent copies of the commandments from being posted "prominently" in classrooms, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.

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"This is necessary to protect teachers who have the desire to establish that the country's historical background is based on Judeo-Christian traditions," Flynn said.

Public displays of the commandments have been fought over in the courts for years, with mixed results.

"If the bill became law and if a court looked at that law and determined that its primary purpose was to promote religion ... a federal court probably would rule that it violates the First Amendment establishment clause," said David Masci of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled five years ago that a monument on the Texas Capitol grounds listing the commandments was not unconstitutional. But Kentucky's display on the walls of county courthouses was ruled out.

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