They're 'protected by the First Amendment and Texas law,' A.G. says. The attorney general of Texas yesterday ordered local authorities to cease any attempts to shut down churches and private religious schools, stating that those institutions are protected by both the U.S. Constitution and Texas statute. .. A.G. Ken Paxton said that "the robust constitutional and statutory protections unique to religious individuals and communities at all times" prohibit local governments from closing them down, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. ... local public health officials have [recently] begun to issue orders restricting or limiting in-person instruction" in private schools. In the...