The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that displays of the Ten Commandments in Texas can remain in public school classrooms after a months-long battle spurred by families and advocacy groups.
The divided court said Senate Bill 10, which mandates the displays, doesn’t violate the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause or the Free Exercise Clause. The decision comes after the same court ruled it was too early to evaluate a similar Louisiana law in February. Both cases were heard together in January.
“S.B. 10 looks nothing like a historical religious establishment,” the decision said. “It 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.”
The case is among three Texas lawsuits against the Ten Commandments display law filed by advocacy groups that include the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has been defending most of the school districts being sued, filed an appeal after an August decision from U.S. District Judge Fred Biery in San Antonio blocked the displays from several districts, including Houston, Fort Bend and Cy-Fair ISDs.
This is a developing story that will be updated.