A federal district judge has blocked four Arkansas school districts from displaying the Ten Commandments in their classrooms, displays that are currently required under Arkansas state law.
"Why would Arkansas pass an obviously unconstitutional law?" said U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Brooks in his 35-page ruling. "Most likely because the state is part of a coordinated strategy among several states to inject Christian religious doctrine into public-school classrooms."
Signed by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders earlier this year, Act 573 requires schools to display the Ten Commandments, detailing both the font size and translation of Scripture required. The law was set to take effect on Tuesday, August 5, until U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Brooks issued a temporary injunction.
Brooks' injunction resulted from a lawsuit filed by families who objected to the religious display requirements. The nine plaintiffs and their children are Jewish, Unitarian Universalist, atheist, and agnostic.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas represented the parents who argue the religious display requirements violate both their religious freedom and their parental rights.
“Act 573 is a direct infringement of our religious-freedom rights, and we’re pleased that the court ruled in our favor,” said plaintiff Samantha Stinson. “The version of the Ten Commandments mandated by Act 573 conflicts with our family’s Jewish tenets and practice, and our belief that our children should receive their religious instruction at home and within our faith community, not from government officials.”
The ACLU's lawsuit against Act 573 emphasized that public school attendance is generally mandatory in Arkansas and students would be forced to look at the signs every day.
"Act 573 is not neutral with respect to religion," said Brooks, pointing out that the Ten Commandments law "requires that a specific version of that scripture be used, one that the uncontroverted evidence in this case shows is associated with Protestantism and is exclusionary of other faiths."
The temporary injunction exempts schools in the Fayetteville, Springdale, Bentonville, and Siloam Springs School Districts from displaying the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms and libraries.
Under the Arkansas law, all classrooms and public buildings receiving taxpayer funding were required to display both the Ten Commandments and the United States' national motto, “In God We Trust." Posters were required to be donated or purchased through voluntary donations to the schools or public institutions.
On August 1, 2025, when the legislation initially took effect, hundreds of Ten Commandments posters were donated to the Fayetteville School District, according to court documents.
Attorney General Tim Griffin and his office defended the law. Griffin said in a statement, “I am reviewing the court’s order and assessing our legal options.”
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