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A federal appeals court will hear arguments against a ruling that blocked the display of posters of the Ten Commandments in Texas classrooms. The full panel of judges on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit will hear both the Texas case and a similar case from Louisiana in January. What they're saying: "I’m proud to defend Texas’s right to uphold our legal and moral heritage by protecting the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools," Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said. "There is no reason any school district should be prohibited from displaying these foundational words that have guided our laws and values for centuries. The Ten Commandments reflect principles that shaped both our State and our nation, and students benefit greatly from being able to learn from them daily." Federal judge blocks law requiring Ten Commandments be displayed in Texas schools A federal judge temporarily blocked the law from taking effect in August after several school districts filed a lawsuit against the state and the Texas Education Agency. "This Court finds there is insufficient evidence of a broad tradition in place at the time of the Founding, and within the history of public education, to justify S.B. 10," Judge Fred Biery wrote in August. Related The ruling applied only to the school districts named in the initial lawsuit and some school districts have already started displaying the posters. The law requires a "durable poster or framed copy" of the Ten Commandments be posted in each classroom. The copies would need to be at least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall and "in a size and typeface that is legible to a person with average vision from anywhere in the classroom." After the judge's ruling, Paxton called for the entire appeals court to hear arguments, calling the Ten Commandments a "cornerstone of America's moral and legal heritage." The other side: Those challenging the law have called it "blatantly unconstitutional" and an attempt to divide communities along religious lines.
