The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals today upheld S.B. 10, a Texas law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom across the state. 

Represented by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Texas and Americans United for Separation of Church and State, with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP serving as pro bono counsel, the plaintiffs in Rabbi Nathan v. Alamo Heights Independent School District are a multifaith group of 15 Texas families with children in public schools. 

The organizations representing the plaintiffs issued the following statement in response to the decision:

“We are extremely disappointed in today’s decision. The Court’s ruling goes against fundamental First Amendment principles and binding U.S. Supreme Court authority. The First Amendment safeguards the separation of church and state, and the freedom of families to choose how, when and whether to provide their children with religious instruction.  This decision tramples those rights. We anticipate asking the Supreme Court to reverse this decision and uphold the religious freedom rights of children and parents.”

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to defending the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and educating the public on matters relating to nontheism. With more than 41,000 members including nearly 1,800 in Texas, FFRF is the largest association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics and humanists) in North America. For more information, visit ffrf.org.

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