Court upholds Texas law requiring Ten Commandments in classrooms

Local News Federal appeals court upholds Texas law requiring Ten Commandments in classrooms By S.E. Jenkins S.E. Jenkins Digital Content Producer, CBS Texas S.E. Jenkins is a digital content producer for CBS Texas and the South region. Read Full Bio S.E. Jenkins Updated on: April 21, 2026 / 8:56 PM EDT / CBS Texas Add CBS News on Google The Texas law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments in each classroom has been upheld by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, according to an opinion released by the court on Tuesday.In June 2025, the Texas Legislature enacted Senate Bill 10, which requires public elementary and secondary schools to display in each classroom a "durable poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments." The poster or copy must measure "at least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall," use an easily readable typeface, and be "display[ed] in a conspicuous place."A lawsuit filed in early December 2025 claimed that the law violates the First Amendment. The American Civil Liberties Union and religious freedom organizations filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in San Antonio on behalf of 18 families with children in public school across the state. Sixteen school districts were named as defendants, including seven from North Texas.Court says Ten Commandments displays are not "engines of coercive indoctrination"The court found the law to be legally compliant with the First Amendment, meaning it does not improperly establish or endorse a religion nor does it prevent individuals from practicing their faith.  In its opinion, the court said in part:"S.B. 10 ... does not tell churches or synagogues or mosques what to believe or how to worship or whom to employ as priests, rabbis, or imams. It punishes no one who rejects the Ten Commandments, no matter the reason. It levies no taxes to support any clergy. It does not co-opt churches to perform civic functions. These are the kinds of things 'establishments of religion' did at the founding. S.B...