HOUSTON – A US appeals court ruled on April 21 that Texas can require the Bible’s Ten Commandments to be displayed in public schools, a win for Christian conservatives who want their faith in classrooms.
The 120-page decision by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals came in response to the legal battle that sprang up after a Texas law, Senate Bill 10 (SB10), required the scripture be posted in every classroom – which met legal challenges from families of diverse faiths with children in public schools.
The ruling filed in the southern city of New Orleans on April 21 said the mandate to display the Biblical text does not create “an imposition on the consciences of Texas students or parents” and plaintiffs “failed to show that SB10 imposes a substantial burden on their free exercise rights.”
Judges also ruled that SB10 was not in violation of the Establishment Clause of the US Constitution, the part of the First Amendment that prohibits the government from establishing a national religion or showing preference to one over another.
Texas school authorities, families and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) had challenged SB10 in court, saying children’s religious beliefs were to be instilled by parents and faith communities, not public schools.
“We are extremely disappointed in today’s decision. The Court’s ruling goes against fundamental First Amendment principles and binding US Supreme Court authority,” the ACLU wrote in a statement on April 21.
“The First Amendment safeguards the separation of church and state, and the freedom of families to choose how, when and if to provide their children with religious instruction.”
The ruling reverses a district court’s injunction barring implementation of the law, with judge Fred Biery writing in that ruling that SB10 “impermissibly takes sides on theological questions and officially favours Christian denominations over others.”
The ruling also noted that “countless public schools – including Texas’s – open the day with students reciting the Pledge” of Allegiance, which leads children to say “one nation, under God.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, praised the ruling on social media for upholding the measure approved by the Texas state legislature in June 2025.
“The Ten Commandments have had a profound impact on our nation, and it’s important that students learn from them every single day,” Mr Paxton wrote in a post on X.
The controversial case could end up before the US Supreme Court, and the ACLU said “we anticipate asking the Supreme Court to reverse this decision.” AFP