Appeals Court Rules Texas Can Display Ten Commandments in Public Schools

A US appeals court ruled on Tuesday that Texas can require the Bible's Ten Commandments to be displayed in public schools, a win for Christian conservatives who want their faith in classrooms. The 120-page decision by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals came in response to the legal battle that sprang up after a Texas law, Senate Bill 10 (SB10), required the scripture be posted in every classroom – which met legal challenges from families of diverse faiths with children in public schools. The ruling filed in the southern city of New Orleans on Tuesday said the mandate to display the Biblical text does not create "an imposition on the consciences of Texas students or parents" and plaintiffs "failed to show that SB10 imposes a substantial burden on their free exercise rights". Judges also ruled that SB10 was not in violation of the Establishment Clause of the US Constitution, the part of the First Amendment that prohibits the government from establishing a national religion or showing preference to one over another. Texas school authorities, families and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) had challenged SB10 in court, saying children's religious beliefs were to be instilled by parents and faith communities, not public schools. "We are extremely disappointed in today's decision. The Court's ruling goes against fundamental First Amendment principles and binding US Supreme Court authority," the ACLU wrote in a statement Tuesday. "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."