Middleton calls for a larger role for God in government

Middleton’s message

State Sen. Mayes Middleton is making religion in public life part of his message as a candidate for Texas attorney general. His call to put God back in government comes as Texas faces a legal challenge over required Ten Commandments displays in public schools.

A group of parents sued earlier this year over a new state law requiring public-school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments. The lawsuit challenges a requirement created by the state, rather than a decision by an individual teacher or school to put up a display.

Middleton’s broad statement about God and government does not, on its own, set out how he would approach that lawsuit or other disputes as attorney general. It also does not define a specific change to classroom instruction or other education rules.

The education dispute

The law makes the classroom displays mandatory in Texas public schools. The parents’ lawsuit asks the legal system to review that state requirement.

The dispute brings together two separate parts of state government: lawmakers enact state laws, while courts consider legal challenges brought against them. Middleton currently serves in the Texas Senate, the legislative chamber that acts on state bills.

The attorney general is a different statewide office. Middleton’s candidacy connects his broader message about religion in government to a position responsible for state legal matters, but the classroom-display dispute will turn on the law and the claims raised in court.

What comes next

The next steps will be reflected in court filings addressing the parents’ challenge. Any court order affecting the Ten Commandments requirement would determine how the law applies while the case proceeds.