Fayetteville, Arkansas — A federal judge on Monday permanently blocked enforcement of an Arkansas law requiring Ten Commandments displays in public school classrooms, ruling the measure unconstitutional under the First Amendment.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks issued the order affecting six Arkansas school districts, concluding the 2025 law mandating the religious displays in classrooms and libraries violated constitutional protections separating church and state. The lawsuit was brought by seven families from diverse religious and nonreligious backgrounds who argued the policy imposed a government-endorsed religious message on students.
Brooks wrote that the law required the displays regardless of classroom subject or student age, making it difficult to justify as an educational or historical measure. “Nothing could possibly justify hanging the Ten Commandments — with or without historical context — in a calculus, chemistry, French, or woodworking class,” Brooks wrote in the ruling.
The plaintiffs were represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and several organizations advocating church-state separation. An ACLU attorney said the decision ensures classrooms remain inclusive for students of different faiths and beliefs.
Arkansas officials signaled they will appeal the ruling. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders defended the law, saying the Ten Commandments represent a historical foundation for Western legal traditions and moral principles.
Similar Ten Commandments display laws in Texas and Louisiana are also being challenged in federal courts.
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