TEXAS – Texas has strengthened its measures to prevent
religious norms or foreign laws from supplanting state and federal laws, in an
offensive spearheaded by Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton.
In 2025, the state passed legislation prohibiting certain
residential developments that could use discriminatory practices under the
guise of religion. Furthermore, authorities have opened investigations into
entities accused of operating as Islamic courts and attempting to impose
decisions based on Sharia law.
In April 2026, Paxton announced an investigation into the
so-called Islamic Court of Dallas, considering that its activities could be an
attempt to supplant the courts established by U.S. law.
Although social media has widely reported that Texas has
“banned Sharia law,” and in practice this is true, some analysts maintain that
legally it is more accurate to say that the state is strengthening restrictions
against its application as a parallel legal system.