Texas Democrat James Talarico this week criticized a court order allowing Texas to enact a law requiring classrooms to display the 10 Commandments, calling it a “profoundly un-Christian decision.”
He denounced “Christian nationalism,” saying, “I am a Christian, but I know that the most dangerous form of government is theocracy.”
Talarico, a Democratic Texas state representative, is running to flip one of Texas’ Senate seats blue for the first time in decades. Democrats believe Talarico has a real shot at defeating incumbent GOP Sen. John Cornyn or incumbent state Attorney General Ken Paxton. A victory for Talarico would be devastating to the GOP’s hopes of maintaining or expanding its Senate majority this November.
Speaking on CNN this week, Talarico condemned the decision by the federal Fifth Circuit Court. He proposed legislation that would require Texas to display the 10 Commandments, which offends people who are Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, agnostics and atheists.
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Texas State Rep. James Talarico, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, said the decision to allow the Texas law requiring the 10 Commandments in schools was “profoundly un-Christian.”
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“I don’t want anybody’s religion forced down my throat, and I certainly don’t want the government forcing religion down my throat. So why would I do that to my neighbors?” he told CNN. “I think it’s an unconstitutional decision, I also think it’s a profoundly un-Christian decision, because we should love all our neighbors, especially our neighbors of other religions.”
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In a 9-8 decision Tuesday, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Texas law requiring public schools across the state to display the Ten Commandments. The court held that the law did not violate the Constitution’s Establishment Clause or Free Exercise Clause.
The court’s majority opinion stated that “because plaintiffs have failed to show that [Texas law] SB 10 substantially burdens their right to religious exercise, their free exercise claims must be dismissed.”
However, Talarico, who is a Presbyterian seminarian in addition to being a former middle school teacher, claimed the law violated the Christian imperative to love God and love neighbor.
“My faith teaches me to love my neighbor as myself. Not just my neighbors who look like me, not just my neighbors who vote like me, not just my neighbors who pray like me. I call all my neighbors to love me like myself. That includes my Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, agnostic and atheist neighbors,” he said.
He also condemned what he referred to as “Christian nationalism”, saying, “The only thing worse than a dictator is a dictator who thinks they are on a mission from God.”
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A copy of the Ten Commandments is displayed in a classroom at Baghdad Elementary School in Leander, Texas on November 19, 2025, state law requires school districts to post them in classrooms.
As a member of the Texas House of Representatives, Talarico has opposed the 10 Commandments bill as “pagan” for years.
Speaking on CNN, he yelled at Paxton for praising the ruling. “I’m not sure Ken Paxton is in the place to be lecturing on moral values,” he said with a smile.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Paxton for comment.
Paxton, who is currently locked in a bitter primary runoff with Cornyn, called the decision “a huge victory for Texas and our moral values.”
He said the 10 Commandments “have a profound impact on our nation, and it’s important that students learn from them every day,” adding, “My office is proud to defend SB 10 and successfully ensure that the Ten Commandments will be demonstrated in classrooms across Texas.”
After Talarico’s dig, Paxton responded to X, writing, “James Talarico says God commands us to believe in six sexes, support late-term abortions and abuse children by ‘infection’. He is completely and utterly morally bankrupt.”
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Paxton wasn’t the only one to criticize Talarico’s decision. Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Colvette posted on X, “Imagine a Christian going on CNN to condemn the Ten Commandments in schools. Imagine James Talarico.”
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In response, Talarico doubled down, telling Fox News Digital, “Jesus taught us to love God and love our neighbor, because there is no love of God without loving our neighbor. My faith teaches me to love my neighbor as myself. I don’t want the government to force religion down my throat.”
Talarico added that “the separation of church and state is a sacred boundary that does not only benefit the state – it also benefits the church, because when the church becomes too comfortable with political power, it loses its prophetic voice.”
A spokesman for Cornyn responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment, saying, “We support the ruling.”
Original article source: Texas Dem James Talarico rips ‘un-Christian’ court ruling on what’s allowed in classrooms
