Civil liberties

Court Upholds Texas Ten Commandments School Law

Is the ruling a win for religious liberty rooted in the Constitution or a First Amendment violation?

Published 6 hours ago

Court Upholds Texas Ten Commandments School Law

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Above: A copy of the Ten Commandments is displayed in a classroom at Bagdad Elementary School in Leander, Texas on Nov. 19, 2025. Image credit: Jay Janner/The Austin American-Statesman/Getty Images

The Spin

Republican narrative

The Fifth Circuit's ruling upholding Texas' Ten Commandments law is a landmark win for religious liberty and constitutional truth. The court rightly declared Stone v. Graham effectively dead, affirming that acknowledging the historical foundations of American law doesn't violate the Establishment Clause. The Ten Commandments shaped Western legal tradition and belong in classrooms as a reminder of that heritage.

Texas Values

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Democratic narrative

Forcing the Ten Commandments into public school classrooms is a blatant violation of the First Amendment and an imposition of Christian doctrine on students of all faiths. Teachers have resigned rather than comply, and non-Christian students are made to feel like outsiders in schools that are supposed to serve everyone. Public schools belong to all Americans, not just one religious tradition.

ACLU The Associated Press