Fifth Circuit to hear challenge to Texas law requiring Ten Commandments in classrooms

A federal appeals court will decide the constitutionality of a Texas law that requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom. On Tuesday, the 17 active judges of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans will hear arguments in the case, after the measure already split districts across the state.

Gov. Greg Abbott signed the law about six months ago, and successive federal judges have blocked its enforcement, finding it likely violates the U.S. Constitution; two separate rulings halted the law across 24 districts, including Houston, Fort Worth and Conroe. The mandate has prompted a range of responses in Texas classrooms: a band instructor in Carthage resigned rather than post a poster, some Fort Worth-area teachers have displayed the commandments alongside materials from many other faiths, and Galveston schools have kept them out despite a donation of 450 posters and a lawsuit from Attorney General Ken Paxton, who said, "America is a Christian nation." Supporters point to the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling in the Bremerton case and argue the commandments have historical educational value, while critics say the displays amount to state endorsement of religion and may be inappropriate for young children.

The Fifth Circuit hearing could clarify the law’s fate; a three-judge panel of the court has already called a similar Louisiana law "plainly unconstitutional" and blocked it.

Key Topics

Politics, Ten Commandments, Fifth Circuit, Texas, Greg Abbott, Ken Paxton