Tarrant County celebrated a significant moment in its history Friday afternoon with the dedication of a new Ten Commandments Monument, located on the south lawn of the historic 1895 Courthouse in Fort Worth.
The monument was donated by the American History & Heritage Foundation (AHHF), a nonprofit organization that has supported similar installations in other locations across the country.
A ceremony celebrating the unveiling on Friday featured high-profile speakers, including Kelly Shackleford, president and CEO of the First Liberty Institute and a member of President Donald Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission, and the President of Wallbuilders, Tim Barton.
The Tarrant County Commissioners Court first approved acceptance of the gifted monument in a 3-1 vote during a meeting on April 15 last year. Republican commissioners, including County Judge Tim O’Hare, voted in favor, while Democratic Commissioner Alisa Simmons opposed the measure, citing concerns about the separation of church and state.
The stone monument is modeled after the longstanding Ten Commandments display on the Texas State Capitol grounds in Austin, which has stood since 1961, and was even upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 2005 case Van Orden v. Perry.
Proponents of the new monument, including legal advocates from the First Liberty Institute, have argued that these historical displays are indeed constitutional, reflecting the role of Judeo-Christian principles in the nation’s legal heritage – without directly endorsing religion.
The new monument in Tarrant County comes as Texas continues to navigate debates over the placement of religious symbols in public spaces.
In 2025, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 10, requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms starting in the 2025-2026 school year. That law, signed by Governor Greg Abbott, has faced multiple lawsuits from groups including the ACLU of Texas, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
As a result, several federal judges have issued preliminary injunctions blocking enforcement in specific districts, with ongoing litigation challenging its constitutionality under the First Amendment.
Despite opposition or pushback from critics, the new Ten Commandments monument now stands tall on the historic Fort Worth courthouse lawn.
The monument joins a growing number of similar installations in Texas, including one approved by Rockwall County Commissioners in May 2025 – also on the grounds of its historic courthouse. The privately funded display, which was similarly modeled after the Texas Capitol’s longstanding granite monument, was accepted unanimously and cost taxpayers nothing.
