Breaking! Fifth Circuit Upholds Texas Ten Commandments Law
Austin, TX. – April 21, 2026: Today, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling upholding the constitutionality of S.B. 10, the Texas Ten Commandments law, allowing Ten Commandments displays to continue being placed in public school classrooms across the state. The court’s decision reached the merits of the case, declaring the plaintiff’s major supporting case law, Stone v. Graham, effectively dead and upholding the Texas law outright.
Jonathan Saenz, President & Attorney for Texas Values, released the following statement:
“This is one of the most important religious liberty victories for Texas in our glorious history. Texas continues to lead the nation in defending both religious liberty and constitutional truth. Today’s ruling confirms that our state can honor the moral heritage that undergirds our legal system without violating the First Amendment. This decision makes clear that acknowledging the historical foundations of our laws is not only permissible — it is fully consistent with the Constitution.”
Senator Phil King, Senate Author of the Texas Ten Commandments Law, released the following statement:
“Today’s ruling confirms that the Constitution does not require us to erase our history. The Ten Commandments have been referenced throughout our nation’s civic life because they are part of the historical tradition that influenced American law. The Fifth Circuit properly applied the Constitution as written and understood, rather than rewriting it to scrub away our heritage.”
Representative Candy Noble, House Author of the Texas Ten Commandments Law, released the following statement:
“Today we celebrate the just and wise decision at the 5th Court of Appeals affirming the historical relevance of the Ten Commandments in our nation’s educational and judicial history. As we continue displaying the Ten Commandments in our Texas classrooms, they are a reminder to the next generation of Americans the importance they held for our forefathers.”
The Fifth Circuit upheld Texas’s Ten Commandments law, recognizing that the statute reflects the historical and educational significance of the Ten Commandments in the development of Western legal systems and American constitutional tradition. The court rejected claims that the law violates the Establishment Clause, reaffirming that the Constitution does not require government to erase all references to religion from public life.
Texas Values filed a friend of the court legal amicus brief on behalf of Texas State Senator Phil King and Texas State Representative Candy Noble (the legislators who authored and championed the passage of the Texas Ten Commandments law in 2025) supporting the Texas Ten Commandments law at the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The legal amicus brief filed by Texas Values can be found here.
Texas Values is one of the leading organizations working to protect the Texas Ten Commandments Law in order to remind students of our country’s history and of the Ten Commandments’ profound influence on the development of western legal systems. To learn more, visit TenCommandmentsTexas.com.
Texas Values law and policy team members are available for comment. To set up an interview, please email Ashley at media@txvalues.org or call 737-314-2450 (m).
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About Texas Values
Texas Values is the largest statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to standing for faith, family, and freedom in Texas. More information is available at txvalues.org.