Texas can require public schools to display Ten Commandments in classrooms, US appeals court rules
Apr 21, 2026, 4:24 PM | Updated: 5:50 pm
DALLAS (AP) — Texas can require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms, a federal appeals court said Tuesday, allowing posters of the religious doctrine to go up throughout the state.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals said in the decision that the law did not violate either the Establishment Clause or the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. The ruling sets up a battle over religion in schools in the U.S. Supreme Court.
The law is among the pushes by Republicans, including President Donald Trump, to incorporate religion into public schools. Critics say it violates the separation of church and state while backers argue that the Ten Commandments are historical and part of the foundation of U.S. law.
The ruling comes after the full court heard arguments in January in the Texas case and a similar case in Louisiana. The appeals court in February cleared the way for Louisiana’s law, requiring displays of the commandments in public school classrooms. The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals voted 12-6 to lift a block that a lower court first placed on the law in 2024.
