A federal appeals court has upheld a Texas law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments, ruling the mandate a constitutional right.
By Catholics for Catholics
The Ten Commandments will be back to schools in Texas.
A federal appeals court has sustained a Texas law compelling public schools across the state to show the Ten Commandments—a big victory for religious freedom advocates who have long contended the biblical text is interwoven with America’s legal, moral, and historical heritage, according to a story by Fox News.
The 17-member Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held in a 9–8 ruling that Senate Bill 10, the law passed by Texas’ Republican-led legislature, does not go against either the Constitution’s Establishment Clause or the Free Exercise Clause.
“Because Plaintiffs fail to show that S.B. 10 substantially burdens their right to religious exercise, their Free Exercise claims must be dismissed,” the court’s majority opinion stated.
“This is one of the most important religious liberty victories for Texas in our glorious history,” said Jonathan Saenz, president and attorney for Texas Values, which defended the law. “Texas continues to lead the nation in defending both religious liberty and constitutional truth.”
“Today’s ruling confirms that our state can honor the moral heritage that undergirds our legal system without violating the First Amendment,” Saenz added. “This decision makes clear that acknowledging the historical foundations of our laws is not only permissible—it is fully consistent with the Constitution.”-
Phil King, a senator from Texas and author of the Texas Ten Commandments Law, said the court’s decision means the state isn’t required to erase its history.
“The Ten Commandments have been referenced throughout our nation’s civic life because they are part of the historical tradition that influenced American law,” he said. “The Fifth Circuit properly applied the Constitution as written and understood, rather than rewriting it to scrub away our heritage.”
Tuesday’s ruling overturns a preliminary injunction issued by a federal judge in 2025, who had formerly contended the law failed to show a historical tradition of public schools posting the Ten Commandments—a standard he claimed was necessary for the bill to withstand judicial precedent.
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