Short answer
Senate Bill 10 (2025) requires every Texas public school classroom to display a Ten Commandments poster at least 16 by 20 inches, using text set in the law [1]. In April 2026 the full Fifth Circuit upheld it 9-8 [3][4]. Challengers asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case on Aug. 17, 2026; that petition is pending [2][5].
What the law requires
Senate Bill 10, passed by the Texas Legislature in 2025, added Section 1.0041 to the Texas Education Code [1]. It requires each public elementary and secondary school to display a durable poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments in a conspicuous place in every classroom [1]. The display must be at least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall, must contain only the text set out in the bill, and must be legible from anywhere in the classroom [1].
A school whose classrooms lack a compliant display must accept and post privately donated copies that meet the requirements; districts may, but are not required to, buy posters with district funds [1]. The law applies beginning with the 2025–2026 school year [1]. Challengers describe the required text as drawn from the Protestant King James Bible [5].
The federal court challenges
In July 2025, 16 multifaith and nonreligious families sued 11 school districts in Nathan v. Alamo Heights ISD, and in August 2025 a federal judge blocked those districts from displaying the Ten Commandments [2]. A second suit, Cribbs Ringer v. Comal ISD, was filed by 15 families against 14 districts in September 2025, and a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction in that case on Nov. 18, 2025 [2]. A third suit filed Dec. 2, 2025, Ashby v. Schertz-Cibolo-Universal ISD, seeks class-action relief covering districts not already in litigation; the ACLU of Texas lists no ruling in it [2].
Challengers rely on Stone v. Graham, a 1980 U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down a similar Kentucky law [3][6].
The Fifth Circuit ruling
On April 21, 2026, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, sitting en banc, ruled 9-8 that SB 10 does not violate the First Amendment's Establishment Clause or Free Exercise Clause [2][3][4]. The majority held that Stone v. Graham no longer controls because it relied on the Lemon test, which the Supreme Court set aside in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District (2022), and found the law lacks the features of a founding-era religious establishment [4]. In the principal dissent, seven judges argued that Stone still controls; an eighth judge dissented separately [4].
The ruling vacated the Nathan injunction, and the Fifth Circuit also reversed the Cribbs Ringer injunction in light of that decision [2].
Where the cases stand
On Aug. 17, 2026, the families in Nathan and Cribbs Ringer filed a joint petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review the Fifth Circuit's decision and block the law [2][5]. At least four justices must vote to hear a case [6]. As of Oct. 17, 2026, the editors found no report that the Court had granted or denied the petition.
Separately, the Texas attorney general's office sued Galveston ISD in November 2025 after its board declined to post the required version [6]. In early October 2026, a state district judge ordered the district to display the posters in all classrooms within 10 days, and a non-jury trial was set for June 2027 [6].
Common questions
- Is the Texas Ten Commandments law in effect?
- Yes. After the Fifth Circuit's April 2026 ruling, the federal injunctions in Nathan and Cribbs Ringer were lifted or reversed, and the ACLU of Texas lists no ruling in the third suit, Ashby [2].
- Do schools have to buy the posters?
- No. Schools must accept and display compliant donated copies, and may choose to buy them [1].
- Has the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the law?
- Not as of Oct. 17, 2026. A petition asking the Court to hear the case was filed Aug. 17, 2026 [5].
- How big must the poster be?
- At least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall [1].
Sources
- S.B. No. 10, Enrolled Version (89th Legislature, Regular Session), Texas Legislature, 2025
- Legal Challenges to Texas' Ten Commandments Law, SB 10, ACLU of Texas, 2026
- Texas can force schools to display the Ten Commandments, federal appeals court says, NPR (via KVCR), 2026-04-22
- Fifth Circuit Gives Texas Ten Commandments Law a Razor-Thin Win, FindLaw, 2026-04-24
- Texas Families Urge U.S. Supreme Court To Hear Challenge to Law Requiring Ten Commandments in Public School Classrooms, ACLU of Texas, 2026-08-17
- Texas wins case forcing school district to display Ten Commandments in classrooms, The Times of Israel (JTA), 2026-10-05