Split Fifth Circuit OKs Texas Ten Commandments in Classroom Law

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10. Federal Appeals Court Upholds Texas Ten Commandments Law

Federal Appeals Court Upholds Texas Ten Commandments Law

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/21/us/appeals-court-upholds-texas-ten-commandments-law.html

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit said the law does not violate the Constitution. The plaintiffs said they planned to ask the Supreme Court to reverse the decision.


A Ten Commandments poster in an English classroom at Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Worth. Desiree Rios for The New York Times

By Pooja Salhotra
April 21, 2026

A federal appeals court on Tuesday narrowly upheld a Texas law that requires public schools to display posters of the Ten Commandments in classrooms. ... By 9-to-8, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that the law does not violate the separation of church and state, reversing two lower court decisions. The court also ruled the measure does not restrict parents' right to direct their children's religious upbringing.

"Students are neither catechized on the Commandments nor taught to adopt them," the ruling said. "Nor are teachers commanded to proselytize students who ask about the displays or contradict students who disagree with them."

Since Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, signed a law in 2025 mandating the religious displays, families of various faith backgrounds have challenged it, arguing that the law amounted to state endorsement of religion. The law was passed amid a broader conservative push to infuse Christianity into public schools, and several other Republican-led states have passed similar laws.

The organizations representing the 15 Texas families who filed the lawsuit said in a statement that they were disappointed in the decision and planned to ask the Supreme Court to reverse it.

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Pooja Salhotra covers breaking news across the United States.
https://www.nytimes.com/by/pooja-salhotra