Thou Shall Not Keep Jesus Out of Class: Court Sides With Texas in SB 10 Lawsuit

The state of Texas secured a significant victory in the battle over the Ten Commandments in classrooms on Tuesday when a federal court upheld controversial Senate Bill 10. 

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against several families, including some from North Texas, who sought to keep school districts from being legally required to display the Ten Commandments in all public school classrooms.

According to the split-opinion ruling, one judge said that the requirement to post a copy of the Ten Commandments was not equal to “a call to prayer.” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who represented the school districts named in the lawsuit, which included Plano ISD, marked the win in a Tuesday evening statement. 

“This is a major victory for Texas and our moral values,” said Paxton. “My office was proud to defend SB 10 and successfully ensure that the Ten Commandments will be displayed in classrooms across Texas. The Ten Commandments have had a profound impact on our nation, and it’s important that students learn from them every single day.”

Paxton’s statement reflects similar comments made from top Texas officials including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick who cites the Ten Commandments as a valuable historical document as much as a faith-based or Biblical text. 

Signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in June and scheduled to take effect in September, the law has been slowed by a number of legal challenges. The dodgy legal path for SB 10 has been similar to that of Louisiana’s 2024 law, House Bill 71, which also established legal guidelines for the placement of the Ten Commandments in all public K-12 classrooms. In February, the same court that ruled in favor of Texas yesterday, lifted the injunction that had kept Louisiana schools from being required to display the Ten Commandments. 

Over the past year, opponents of SB 10 from both religious and non-religious backgrounds have criticized the law for allegedly infringing upon the religious freedom rights of students who may not practice Christianity, and claim the posters represent government overreach.  

The plaintiffs in the Texas lawsuit are represented by the ACLU, among other advocacy groups. According to a statement issued after the ruling, this matter has not yet been closed. 

“We are extremely disappointed in today’s decision. The court’s ruling goes against fundamental First Amendment principles and binding U.S. Supreme Court authority,” the statement read. “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. This decision tramples those rights. We anticipate asking the Supreme Court to reverse this decision and uphold the religious freedom rights of children and parents.”