Texas
Texas can require public schools to display Ten Commandments in classrooms, court rules
DALLAS — Texas can require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public schools, a U.S. appeals court ruled Tuesday in a victory for conservatives who have long sought to incorporate more religion into classrooms.
The 9-8 decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a boost to backers of similar laws in Arkansas and Louisiana. Opponents have argued that hanging the Ten Commandments in classrooms proselytizes to students and amounts to religious indoctrination by the government.
In a lengthy majority opinion, the conservative-leaning appeals court in New Orleans rejected those arguments in Texas, saying the requirement does not step on the rights of parents or students.
“No child is made to recite the Commandments, believe them, or affirm their divine origin,” the ruling says.
The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups that challenged the Texas law on behalf of parents said in a statement that they anticipate appealing the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“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,” they said in the statement.
The mandate is one of several fronts in Texas that opponents have fought over religion in classrooms. In 2024, the state approved optional Bible-infused curriculum for elementary schools, and a proposal set for a vote in June would add Bible stories to required reading lists in Texas classrooms.
The decision over the Ten Commandments law reverses a lower federal court ruling that had blocked about a dozen Texas school districts — including some of the state’s largest — from putting up the posters. The Texas law signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott took effect in September, marking the largest attempt in the nation to hang the Ten Commandments in public schools.
From the start, the law was met almost immediately by a mix of embrace and hesitation in Texas classrooms that educate the state’s 5.5 million public school students.
The mandate animated school board meetings, spun up guidance about what to say when students ask questions, and led to boxes of donated posters being dropped on the doorsteps of campuses statewide. Although the law only requires schools to hang the posters if donated, one suburban Dallas school district spent nearly $1,800 to print roughly 5,000 posters.
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,” he said.
Tuesday’s ruling comes after the appeals court heard arguments in January in the Texas case and a similar case in Louisiana. In February, the court cleared the way for Louisiana to enforce its law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms.
Republican Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said the Texas ruling “adopted our entire legal defense” of the law in her state. In Alabama, Republican Gov. Kay Ivey also signed a similar law earlier this month.
“Our law clearly was always constitutional, and I am grateful that the Fifth Circuit has now definitively agreed with us,” Murrill said in a statement posted to social media.
Judge Stephen A. Higginson, in a dissenting opinion joined by four others on the court, wrote that the framers of the Constitution “intended disestablishment of religion, above all to prevent large religious sects from using political power to impose their religion on others.”
“Yet Texas, like Louisiana, seeks to do just that, legislating that specific, politically chosen scripture be installed in every public-school classroom,” Higginson wrote.
The law says schools must put donated posters “in a conspicuous place” and requires the writing to be a size and typeface that is visible from anywhere in a classroom to a person with “average vision.” The displays must also be 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall.
Texas’ law easily passed the GOP-controlled Legislature and Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have backed posting the Ten Commandments in classrooms.
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Associated Press writer Audrey McAvoy contributed to this report from Honolulu, Hawaii.
When it comes to passing the “eye test,” so much of it starts in the weight room. Few coaches in college football have a more proven track record of developing NFL‑ready players than Tommy Moffitt, the longtime strength‑and‑conditioning guru and now Texas A&M’s Director of Football Strength & Conditioning.
When Mike Elko took over at Texas A&M, he needed someone who could set the tone physically and culturally. His S&C coach at Duke chose not to follow him to College Station, and the search began. The coach they ultimately landed on was Moffitt, fresh off running his private training program after his legendary run at LSU ended. And as Moffitt has said many times, he already had his eye on Texas A&M well before the job officially opened.
Now entering his third offseason in Aggieland, the program is fully in his hands. The combination of Elko’s culture shift and Moffitt’s physical development plan has positioned the Aggies for a noticeable jump in toughness and consistency. And Moffitt’s return to the college ranks wasn’t guaranteed. In a recent conversation with Chris Low of On3, he detailed how some in the industry doubted he’d ever coach at the SEC level again.
“He gave me a list of agents, and I left a lot of messages. One guy calls me back and says, ‘Coach, I think you’re past your prime. I don’t see you ever getting another job like this one (LSU), He told me he thought the best I was going to do was maybe an FCS job, maybe something in the Group of Five and that he didn’t ever see me coaching in the SEC again. “That motivated me more than anything.”
For someone with Moffitt’s résumé that includes multiple national championships and decades of elite development, that kind of dismissal was surprising. But instead of stepping back, he doubled down. He already had Texas A&M circled as the place he wanted to be, thanks in part to conversations with former A&M staffer Jeremy Jacobs, who spoke highly of Elko’s vision, discipline, and training philosophy.
“That was the reason why I sought out this job so hard. Jeremy and I stayed in contact, and he loved Coach Elko, “He talked about his plan and his vision, how his teams practice and the emphasis he puts on training and discipline. I remember telling my friends in Baton Rouge, ‘Hey, look out for this Duke team,’ and they started rolling with some wins.”
“I called so many times that they told Jeremy to tell me to stop calling, that as soon as (Elko) got a break that he would call me”
Moffitt was so persistent that the staff eventually told Jacobs to ask him to stop calling; Elko would get back to him when he had a moment. When that call finally came, it became one of the most impactful decisions of Elko’s early tenure.
Players rave about Moffitt’s energy. Recruits notice the physical transformation. And the program’s identity—tough, disciplined, accountable—mirrors the man running the weight room.
For the full interview with Chris Low, check it out here (subscription required).
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on X: @whosnextsports1.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement will be at the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin in an interview with CBS News confirmed ICE will be at the World Cup
Target is spending billions to remodel more than 100 stores across the country, including a dozen in Texas.
The retail chain announced that it would invest about $5 billion in 2026 toward remodels and new stores, as well as technology upgrades to “create more personalized, joyful experiences for guests.” Stores will have updated floor plans, and hundreds of millions of dollars will also go towards store payroll and training, according to a March 3 news release.
Customers can expect to see new home displays showcasing on-trend decor, the Target Beauty Studio featuring more than 60 new-to-Target beauty brands, and an expanded assortment of food and beverage brands.
“This new chapter of growth at Target is defined by clear choices and rooted in a deeper understanding of our unique lane in retail, the guests we serve and the areas where we’re distinctly positioned to win,” said Target Chief Executive Officer Michael Fiddelke.
Texas stores getting a makeover
Here’s where the remodeled stores in Texas will be, according to USA TODAY:
- Greater Houston: Westchase, Willowbrook and Galveston
- San Antonio/South Texas: SW Military Drive, SE San Antonio and San Marcos
- DFW/North Texas: Vista Ridge, Garland East and Eastchase
- Central & West Texas: Temple, McAllen Northwest and El Paso Central
USA TODAY contributed to this story.
Natassia Paloma may be reached at npaloma@gannett.com, @NatassiaPaloma on x; natassia_paloma on Instagram, and Natassia Paloma Thompson on Facebook.
It’s Ella Langley and Texas for the win in 2026, as Academy of Country Music voters chose Texas artists, and Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” as the top winners. You could also say the ACMs chose authenticity and twang along the way. Though much of the presentation failed to represent the best in popular country music, many of the awards did, even with performers like Zach Top and Megan Moroney walking away empty handed.
It was a clean sweep for Ella Langley and all the awards she was up for. She won both Single and Song of the Year for “Choosin’ Texas,” which actually doubles her take on both since she was also a co-producer and songwriter on the tracks. She also won Female Artist of the Year, Artist-Songwriter of the Year, and Music Event of the Year for “Don’t Mind If I Do” with Riley Green.
Those seven wins mean that Ella Langley had a historic night, with the most wins ever accrued by an artist in one ACM year. Three artists have won six total over the years: Garth Brooks (1991), Faith Hill (1999) and Chris Stapleton (2016). Ella Langley probably would have won Album of the Year and Entertainer of the Year if she’d been nominated for them. Next year she will be, and will go in as a front runner for both.
Ella Langley is from Alabama, not Texas. So are The Red Clay Strays, who walked away with Group of the Year, breaking Old Dominion’s dominant (and rather ridiculous) 8-year winning streak for the award. The Red Clay Strays won New Duo or Group of the Year in 2025, and now up their game with the big boys in the mainstream with the win.
But it’s two artists who started in the Texas scene that scored the rest of the evening’s top prizes. Parker McCollum’s self-titled album might have not come with massive hits, or been a critical favorite of the Americana crowd. But it was clearly deeply personal to him, and illustrated how a mainstream album could still hit a bit left of center and with a deeper tone, and still be successful, including winning Album of the Year.
Parker McCollum mentioned Koe Wetzel, Wade Bowen, Randy Rogers Band, and “all my Texas country and Red Dirt family” in his acceptance speech. Winning Album of the Year is a career-defining moment for Parker, and a moment the entire State of Texas can be proud of.
Same goes for Cody Johnson, who except for Langley, was the big winner of the night. After taking home his first ACM for Male Vocalist of the Year, he walked away with the evening’s top prize of Entertainer of the Year. Though Morgan Wallen fans will rightfully argue that their boy is multipliers bigger than Cody Johnson, the Texas native is no slouch. He’s been tearing it up as an entertainer (the award is considered just as much about live performance as anything), and unlike Wallen, Cody’s kept his nose clean over the years.
If Luke Combs or Chris Stapleton would have won Entertainer, it would have felt like the safe pick. If Lainey Wilson won for a third straight year—especially with Ella Langley’s big night—it would have illustrated how the industry has really overextended for Lainey, even if she’s one of the better voices in the mainstream. It was too early for Megan Moroney to win, and she’ll have more opportunities. Cody Johnson might not, but he cashed in this year, and will forever be the 2026 ACM Entertainer of the Year.
What does all of this mean? Well first, you always have to remind yourself that it’s “just the ACM Awards.” As an example, only three of the seven artists up for Entertainer of the Year were even present in the building (Cody Johnson, Chris Stapleton, Lainey Wilson). Streaming on Amazon as opposed to being broadcast on TV, and conducted on a Sunday, the social media chatter for the awards was incredibly low.
The energy level was also low throughout the entire presentation, and host Shania Twain brought nothing but slurred words and awkward moments to the table. Carter Faith distinguished herself with her performance, and so did Ella Langley by performing “Be Her” acoustically. Cody Johnson’s “Traveling Soldier” (written by Bruce Robison and originally recorded by the [Dixie] Chicks) was a sincere gesture as opposed to performing his current single.
It was a little awkward when New Female Artist of the Year winner Avery Anna started her performance off with “Bang, Bang”—something written by Sonny Bono, but a song Kaitlin Butts has been featuring for the last few years. Kaitlin felt like she was overlooked for ACM New Female Artist consideration, but maybe the imitation by Avery is the greatest form of flattery.
Again, it’s just the ACM Awards. But the 2026 wins do seem to validate the moment we’re enjoying in country music. As silly songs from folks like Kane Brown and Thomas Rhett fell flat, it felt like the future is with artists, songs, and albums with integrity. “Texas” might not be a perfect synonym for authenticity and integrity, but it tends to hit closer to that than Nashville. And in the neutral setting of Las Vegas, Texas and top performers from Alabama won out.
There was plenty to criticize from the 2026 ACM Awards. But ultimately, the good guys won.
For a full blow by blow of the presentation, check out Saving Country Music’s 2026 ACM Awards LIVE Blog.
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