Texas’s latest Ten Commandments decision disregards religious freedom
Key takeaways
- A copy of the Ten Commandments is displayed in a classroom at Bagdad Elementary School in Leander on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025.
- But after a decision by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, who knows?
- A Texas statute mandating the posting of the Ten Commandments in every classroom in the state had been blocked by a federal district court and by a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals.
Why this matters: political developments that affect policy direction and public trust.
A copy of the Ten Commandments is displayed in a classroom at Bagdad Elementary School in Leander on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. (Jay Janner/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images) Suppose a state mandated that signs be posted in every public school classroom declaring Jesus is Lord. Wouldn t that violate the First Amendment s ban on establishments of religion?
Until last month, the answer was clearly yes. But after a decision by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, who knows? That court has announced, and likely sent toward a sympathetic Supreme Court, a previously unheard-of interpretation that practically nullifies the Establishment Clause — the constitutional prohibition against the establishment of a religion.
A Texas statute mandating the posting of the Ten Commandments in every classroom in the state had been blocked by a federal district court and by a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals. But those panels can be overruled by all 17 Fifth Circuit judges, who voted 9-8 to uphold the law.