DALLAS (AP) — Texas can require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms, a U.S. appeals court ruled Tuesday in a victory for conservatives who have long sought to incorporate more religion into schools.

WATCH: Texas school board approves new course material that includes Bible passages

It sets up a potential clash at the U.S. Supreme Court over the issue in the future.

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals said in the decision that the law did not violate the First Amendment, which protects religious freedom and prevents the government from establishing a religion.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, called the ruling “a major victory for Texas and our moral values.”

“The Ten Commandments have had a profound impact on our nation, and it’s important that students learn from them every single day,” Paxton said.

Organizations representing the families who challenged the law, including the American Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement that they were “extremely disappointed” by the 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 if to provide their children with religious instruction. This decision tramples those rights,” the statement said.

The law is among the pushes by Republicans, including President Donald Trump, to incorporate religion into public schools. Critics say it violates the separation of church and state while backers argue that the Ten Commandments are historical and part of the foundation of U.S. law.

The ruling, which reverses a district court’s judgment, comes after the full court heard arguments in January in the Texas case and a similar case in Louisiana. The appeals court in February cleared the way for Louisiana’s law, requiring displays of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals voted 12-6 to lift a block that a lower court first placed on the law in 2024.

Texas law took effect on Sept. 1, marking the largest attempt in the nation to hang the Ten Commandments in public schools. About two dozen school districts had been barred from posting them after federal judges issued injunctions in two cases against the law but went up in many classrooms across the state as districts paid to have the posters printed themselves or accepted donations.

AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles is launching a new authorization system for companies looking to operate automated motor vehicles.

A new goes into effect next month that requires companies using automated vehicles to be authorized by TxDMV with the following requirements:

• Complies with all applicable Texas traffic and motor vehicle laws
• Is equipped with a recording device
• Uses an automated driving system that complies with federal law
• Can achieve minimal risk condition in the event of a system failure
• Has a proper title and registration
• Maintains motor vehicle insurance

The process allows companies to submit their applications online through the Texas Motor Carrier Credentialing System.

The new laws outlined in Senate Bill 2807 go into effect on May 28.

Automated vehicles in Texas

The backstory:

Autonomous driving services are already operating in major Texas cities. Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio are all serviced by the driverless ride-share company Waymo.

In Austin, the service has received dozens of complaints about vehicles stalling, speeding and crashing.

There have also been complaints of vehicles illegally passing school buses.

In March, Swedish company Einride announced plans to bring autonomous freight trucks to Central Texas.

AUSTIN, Texas – A man was charged with intoxication manslaughter after a crash in East Austin.

The backstory:

According to an arrest affidavit, on April 17, around 1:31 a.m., officers responded to a crash in the 2800 block of East Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

An investigation revealed the driver, Jalen Carter, 32, was driving a 2026 white Nissan at an estimated speed of 100 mph in a 45 mph zone. The car “bottomed out” at a train crossing and lost control. The car then hit a utility pole, hit a bus station, and five parked cars before finally coming to a stop. 

A passenger in the car, Carter’s mother, suffered a serious hand injury. 

One witness told an officer that Carter had been smoking marijuana about 30 minutes before driving and was acting “abnormal and paranoid.” An officer described Carter’s eyes as bloodshot and glassy. 

An officer said he also “exhibited cyclic behavior” and was alternating between grabbing his mother and falling unconscious.

When officers tried talking to Carter, they said he was uncooperative and combative. They also said he ignored verbal commands and had to be removed from his mother. 

Carter and his mother were taken to a local hospital. His mother lost her thumb and required emergency surgery. 

At the hospital, Cater was so aggressive that it took about 10 people, including four security guards, to hold him down. He was eventually sedated and intubated. 

Carter was later charged with intoxication assault.