Federal Appeals Court Upholds Texas Law Requiring Ten Commandments in Classrooms

A federal appeals court has upheld a Texas law requiring public schools to display posters of the Ten Commandments in classrooms, a decision that may soon be reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Tuesday to uphold Senate Bill (S.B.) 10, which mandates the display of the religious text in a "conspicuous place" in every classroom.

The law specifies that each poster must be at least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall and feature a particular version of the Ten Commandments. Schools are not required to purchase the posters but must accept any donated copies that comply with the law. If a classroom lacks a poster, it "may, but is not required to, purchase posters or copies that meet the requirements."

The rollout of S.B. 10 has sparked significant controversy across Texas. According to the Associated Press, some teachers have resigned in protest over the law. Prior to Tuesday’s ruling, two federal judges had blocked the law from taking effect in 25 school districts, as reported by The Texas Tribune.

Legal Challenges and Previous Rulings

In one of the earlier federal rulings, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery found that S.B. 10 "crosses the line from exposure to coercion" and determined there was "insufficient evidence of a broader tradition of using the Ten Commandments in public education."

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed, stating in its Tuesday ruling that the law does not violate the Establishment Clause or the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. The court emphasized that S.B. 10 "requires no religious exercise or observance," as students are "neither catechized on the Commandments nor taught to adopt them. Nor are teachers commanded to proselytize students who ask about the displays or contradict students who disagree with them."

The court added, "To Plaintiffs, merely exposing children to religious language is enough to make the displays engines of coercive indoctrination. We disagree."

Supporters' Intent vs. Legal Challenges

While the appeals court ruled in favor of the law, state officials supporting S.B. 10 have made their intentions clear. In a June interview with Todd Starnes, the bill’s author and sponsor, state Sen. Phil King (R–Weatherford), stated, "We want every kid, K…through 12, every day in every classroom they sit in to look on the wall and read, 'it's wrong to kill, it's wrong to steal, it's wrong to lie.'…We want them to see those words that God says."

Sen. King continued, "Because we want them to understand how important that those statements of God, those rules of God are, that they see them in their classrooms every single day of their public education."

The organizations representing the plaintiffs challenging S.B. 10, including the Texas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), condemned Tuesday’s ruling. They argued it "goes against fundamental First Amendment principles and binding U.S. Supreme Court authority." The groups stated they "anticipate asking the Supreme Court to reverse this decision and uphold the religious-freedom rights of children and parents."

Potential Supreme Court Review

If the case reaches the Supreme Court, the justices would likely examine whether the law aligns with the Establishment Clause from a historical perspective. The decision comes amid ongoing national debates over the separation of church and state in public institutions.