Displaying the Ten Commandments in schools

A weekly digest of the Center’s latest research on religion and public life in the U.S. and around the world · Subscribe ↗ This week, the Supreme Court was asked to review a Texas law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms. Louisiana, Arkansas and Alabama have all recently enacted similar laws. Half of Americans favor displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in April. Views on the matter are largely divided by party and religious affiliation. While most Republicans (72%) favor displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms, the majority of Democrats (69%) oppose the practice. The same survey found that while many Americans favor allowing public school teachers to lead their classes in prayer, relatively few people think it should be mandatory for students to participate in teacher-led school prayer.