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Federal court upholds Texas law requiring Ten Commandments in public classrooms
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A federal appeals court has upheld a Texas law requiring public schools across the state to display the Ten Commandments—a major victory for religious freedom advocates who have long argued the biblical text is intertwined with America’s legal, moral, and historical heritage.
In a 9–8 ruling, the 17-member Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held that Senate Bill 10, the law passed by Texas’ Republican-led legislature, does not violate either the Constitution’s Establishment Clause or the Free Exercise Clause.
«Because Plaintiffs fail to show that S.B. 10 substantially burdens their right to religious exercise, their Free Exercise claims must be dismissed,» the court’s majority opinion stated.
Tuesday’s ruling reverses a preliminary injunction issued by a federal judge in 2025, who had previously argued the law failed to demonstrate a historical tradition of public schools posting the Ten Commandments—a standard he claimed was necessary for the bill to withstand judicial precedent.
A federal appeals court ruling on Feb. 20 allows Louisiana’s Ten Commandments classroom mandate to proceed for now. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images)
«This is one of the most important religious liberty victories for Texas in our glorious history,» said Jonathan Saenz, president and attorney for Texas Values, which defended the law. «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,» Saenz added. «This decision makes clear that acknowledging the historical foundations of our laws is not only permissible—it is fully consistent with the Constitution.»
Texas Sen. Phil King, the Senate author of the Texas Ten Commandments Law, said the court’s decision means the state isn’t required to erase its 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,» he said. «The Fifth Circuit properly applied the Constitution as written and understood, rather than rewriting it to scrub away our heritage.»
Under state law, S.B. 10 requires that a «conspicuous» copy of the Ten Commandments be displayed in every classroom in every public school and open-enrollment charter school in Texas. The court ruled that it was not bound by Stone v. Graham, a 1980 U.S. Supreme Court case in which the justices struck down a Kentucky law requiring public schools to post religious texts in classrooms.
That case centered on a bill passed by Kentucky lawmakers that required hanging posters of the Ten Commandments. At the time, the High Court found the law violated the First Amendment because it lacked a secular purpose.
However, defense lawyers argued that Stone relied entirely on the «Lemon test,» specifically the provision requiring a law to have a «secular purpose.» Because the Supreme Court explicitly abandoned the Lemon test in its 2022 decision, Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, the Fifth Circuit majority concluded that the precedents derived from Lemon—including Stone—have been effectively abrogated.
FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS ARKANSAS TEN COMMANDMENTS LAW IN CERTAIN DISTRICTS
The Ten Commandments displayed on a wall inside a building. (John Bazemore/AP)
«[W]ith Lemon extracted, there is nothing left of Stone,» the majority wrote.
In a dissenting opinion, the minority argued that the Supreme Court has never explicitly overturned the Stone v. Graham ruling.
Several judges on the court issued their own statements supporting the law’s constitutionality. Judge James C. Ho, a Trump appointee, concurred with the majority, emphasizing that the court can «uphold Ten Commandments displays in public schools under the Constitution» because the law does not come «close to imposing either an establishment of religion or a prohibition on the free exercise thereof.» Judge Andrew S. Oldham also affirmed his support, stating: «I agree with the majority that the district court’s injunction must be reversed. I further agree that, if the case is justiciable, Texas’s Ten Commandments law does not violate the Constitution.»
The dissenting opinions centered on the religious freedoms of parents with theologies other than Christianity.
«The displays required by S.B. 10 threaten to ‘undermin[e] the religious beliefs that parents wish to instill in their children’ and ‘pressure’ students ‘to conform,’ and Defendants have not satisfied strict scrutiny,» the order states.
FEDERAL APPEALS COURT RULES LOUISIANA TEN COMMANDMENTS SCHOOL LAW IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL
Judge Leslie H. Southwick, a George W. Bush appointee, wrote that: «Religion, though, is a matter of the mind and the heart. Faith cannot flourish when it is forced.»
The lawsuit was originally brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the ACLU of Texas, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation on behalf of a multifaith group of families. These plaintiffs argued that the Texas law imposes a religious preference on their children in violation of the First Amendment.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, State Attorney General Ken Paxton, and the ACLU for further comment.
In a joint statement, the ACLU and other plaintiffs condemned Tuesday’s ruling and announced plans to appeal.
FILE – The State Capitol is seen in Austin, Texas, on June 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File) (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
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«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 statement read. «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. This decision tramples those rights. We anticipate asking the Supreme Court to reverse this decision.»
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman also praised the ruling, noting that the Ten Commandments are «foundational to our legal system and can be displayed in classrooms. We led a 19-state coalition to support Texas’ law and American history!»
texas, federal courts, christianity religion, us, education
La selección de Panamá disputará su partido de despedida ante República Dominicana el miércoles 3 de junio a las 19:45, en el Estadio Rommel Fernández Gutiérrez de la Ciudad de Panamá. El encuentro marcará el cierre de la preparación del equipo dirigido por Thomas Christiansen antes de viajar a la Copa Mundial de la FIFA 2026, según comunicó la Federación Panameña de Fútbol (FPF).
De acuerdo con la información proporcionada por la FPF, este compromiso representa el último examen para la llamada Marea Roja ante su afición local, previo a su debut mundialista frente a Ghana el 17 de junio en el Estadio de Toronto. La entidad destacó que “este partido marcará el cierre de la preparación en casa para el elenco comandado por el entrenador Thomas Christiansen y dará inicio a la cuenta regresiva previo a su debut en el próximo Mundial”.
El historial entre las selecciones absolutas de Panamá y República Dominicana registra seis enfrentamientos, con cinco victorias y once goles a favor del conjunto canalero, además de un empate. El equipo dominicano ha logrado tres goles en esos partidos.
Ambos equipos se midieron por última vez durante las eliminatorias al Mundial de Catar 2022, cuando Panamá se impuso 3-0 el 8 de junio de 2021 en el Estadio Rod Carew. En el más reciente ránking de la FIFA, República Dominicana ocupa el puesto 143, mientras que Panamá figura en la posición 33.
Antes de enfrentar a los dominicanos, la selección panameña tendrá un compromiso ante Brasil el 31 de mayo en el Estadio Maracaná de Río de Janeiro, donde el conjunto sudamericano se despedirá de su público, informó la agencia EFE.
El debut de Panamá en la Copa Mundial de la FIFA 2026 será el 17 de junio ante Ghana, en el primer partido correspondiente al Grupo L, a disputarse en la ciudad de Toronto. La participación en esta edición representa la segunda presencia mundialista de la selección centroamericana, tras su debut en Rusia 2018.
El último antecedente oficial entre ambas selecciones ocurrió el 8 de junio de 2021, durante las eliminatorias rumbo a Catar 2022, cuando Panamá se impuso 3-0 como local en el Estadio Rod Carew. Aquel triunfo consolidó la hegemonía de los canaleros en enfrentamientos directos y reforzó su posición regional. El historial se remonta al primer cruce registrado en los Juegos Centroamericanos y del Caribe de 1974, con victoria panameña 3-1. En 1987, ambas selecciones se midieron en dos amistosos en Santo Domingo, donde se registró un empate 1-1 y una victoria panameña 1-0.
La relación deportiva entre Panamá y República Dominicana ha trascendido el fútbol. El 4 de febrero de 2026 se celebró un amistoso entre ambos países en el marco de la Serie del Caribe, ampliando la competencia a otras disciplinas. La rivalidad en el fútbol, sin embargo, se ha caracterizado por la clara superioridad panameña, reflejada tanto en el marcador global como en la evolución de ambos equipos en el escalafón internacional.
El duelo del 3 de junio servirá de fogueo final para Panamá antes de su debut en el Mundial 2026, mientras que República Dominicana busca sumar experiencia ante un rival de mayor jerarquía. De acuerdo con las proyecciones del encuentro será una oportunidad para que el público local despida a su selección y para que el cuerpo técnico ultime detalles en la alineación y estrategia.
La expectativa se centra en la actuación de los dirigidos por el seleccionador panameño, quienes buscarán consolidar su preparación y responder a la confianza de una afición que ha acompañado el proceso de clasificación. El historial reciente y la diferencia en el ranking FIFA refuerzan el favoritismo local, aunque el partido representa una ocasión para observar posibles sorpresas y ajustes tácticos antes de la cita mundialista.
fútbol,Panamá,República Dominicana,amistoso,internacional,Mundial,deporte,estadio,jugadores,partido
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Pope Leo urges Africans to stay and ‘serve your country’ instead of migrating as displacement climbs
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Pope Leo XIV last Friday urged African youth to work toward improving their own countries rather than migrating elsewhere in search of better opportunities.
The leader of the Roman Catholic Church directed his remarks to university students at the Catholic University of Central Africa in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, during an 11-day apostolic journey in Africa.
«In the face of the understandable tendency to migrate — which may lead one to believe that elsewhere a better future may be more easily found — I invite you, first and foremost, to respond with an ardent desire to serve your country and to apply the knowledge you are acquiring here to the benefit of your fellow citizens,» Leo said.
While displacement in Africa has steadily increased in recent years amid economic and political challenges, Leo said each country’s rising generations should be «committed to society,» reflect their nations’ needs and confront systemic issues at home.
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Pope Leo XIV speaks as he meets with the community of Bamenda at Saint Joseph’s Cathedral in Bamenda on the fourth day of an 11-day apostolic journey to Africa April 16, 2026. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images)
«Africa, indeed, must be freed from the scourge of corruption. For young people, this awareness must take root from their years of formation,» he said.
«These are the witnesses of wisdom and justice, of which the African continent needs.»
He added that through education and spiritual formation, «you learn to become builders of the future of your respective countries and of a world that is more just and humane.»
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Pope Leo XIV delivers a speech during his visit to Central African Catholic University as part of his Africa tour April 17, 2026, in Yaoundé, Cameroon. (Ahmet Emin Donmez/Anadolu)
According to the World Migration Report, most of Africa’s displacement occurs internally within the continent, with 21 million Africans recorded as living in another African country in 2020.
Overseas African migration has also steadily increased, with figures more than doubling between 1990 and 2020.
In 2020, roughly 11 million Africans reportedly migrated to Europe, 5 million to Asia and 3 million to Northern America.
MORNING GLORY: LEO’S LAUNCH
Pope Leo XIV visits Central African Catholic University as part of his Africa tour April 17, 2026, in Yaoundé, Cameroon. (Ahmet Emin Donmez/Anadolu)
The causes of displacement are largely attributed to political conflict, corruption, violence and economic hardship, including widespread poverty.
These factors are particularly pronounced in countries such as Somalia, one of Africa’s largest sources of refugees; Nigeria, which is riddled with natural disasters and economic pressures; and Sudan’s surrounding areas, where civil war, political instability and food insecurity have driven large-scale displacement.
The Pope’s remarks come just days after President Donald Trump criticized Leo on Truth Social, calling him «weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy.»
The backlash followed the pontiff’s criticism of the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran and his appeal for a return to peace.
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Tensions between the two boiled over several days before the Pope said last Saturday that it was «not in my interest at all» to debate the president.
Leo has insisted that his position is focused on bridging divides among nations and promoting peace and reconciliation.
pope leo xiv, roman catholic, africa, foreign affairs, refugees
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