https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/education/2026/04/21/549758/texas-ten-commandments-5th-circuit-court-2/
Education
Texas can force schools to post Ten Commandments, federal appeals court rules
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the state can enforce its 2025 law requiring public schools to display donated posters of the Ten Commandments.
Jaden Edison, Texas Tribune Posted onApril 21, 2026, 10:44 PM
Texas can enforce a state law requiring public schools to display posters of the Ten Commandments in classrooms, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. ... A majority of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Texas officials' favor, concluding that the law does not establish an official state religion.
"It does not tell churches or synagogues or mosques what to believe or how to worship or whom to employ as priests, rabbis, or imams," according to the ruling. (1) "It punishes no one who rejects the Ten Commandments, no matter the reason."
The court heard arguments in January after 16 families sued over the law, alleging that it amounted to state leaders promoting their interpretation of Christianity over other faiths.
All 17 active judges on the court listened to the case -- Rabbi Nathan v. Alamo Heights Independent School District -- alongside a similar challenge in Louisiana, the first state to pass a Ten Commandments requirement for its public schools. (2) The court cleared the way in February for Louisiana to fully implement its law.
After Tuesday's decision, the civil rights organizations representing the families expressed disappointment.
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(1)
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/press/Opinion_1.pdf
(2)
https://www.au.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Rabbi-Nathan-v.-Alamo-Heights-ISD-Complaint-7.2.25.pdf
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