A federal judge blocked a new law in several Arkansas districts that would require schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms.
The ruling, applied to the four largest districts out of 237 in the state, is a response to a lawsuit brought by a group of parents who claimed that the law infringes on their freedom of religion and their parental rights. The law was slated to go into effect on Tuesday, Aug. 5.
“Why would Arkansas pass an obviously unconstitutional law? Most likely because the State is part of a coordinated strategy among several states to inject Christian religious doctrine into public-school classrooms,” U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks said in a ruling, per news reports.
He also said 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,” according to Fox.
The injunction is the latest development in a growing legal fight as several Republican states attempt to expand religion’s role in public education. The law details that the Ten Commandments should be displayed in easily readable font on a poster or framed document, measuring at least 11 inches by 14 inches.
Both Texas and Louisiana have enacted laws mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms, and like Arkansas, these states were sued over the law. In Louisiana, which was the first state to mandate the Ten Commandments in all classrooms, a three-judge appellate panel recently ruled the statute unconstitutional.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of families of different religions by the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom from Religion Foundation. It argues that the law imposes on the constitutional rights and coerces students into religious perspectives that are endorsed by the state, according to ABC News.
The Arkansas statute was signed into law earlier this year by Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
“Act 573 is a direct infringement of our religious-freedom rights, and we’re pleased that the court ruled in our favor,” said Samantha Stinson, a plaintiff in the parent lawsuit, per an ACLU press release. The law “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.”
But many conservatives argue that the Ten Commandments are a cornerstone of Western legal tradition and helped shape the U.S. legal system.
They argue that displaying these posters in classrooms is not about promoting religion, but instead about acknowledging history.
“The Ten Commandments, given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai, have served as a cornerstone of Western civilization for millennia,” wrote William Wolfe, a former senior official in the Trump Administration. “These divine precepts offer timeless wisdom that transcends religious boundaries, providing a universal ethical framework that benefits all members of society, regardless of their personal beliefs.
“By placing the Ten Commandments in our classrooms, we are honoring Washington’s vision and ensuring that future generations understand the moral underpinnings of our democratic system.”
Some scholars of the Bible, however, believe this interpretation gets the core Biblical teaching and its purpose wrong. Richard Clifford, professor emeritus of Old Testament at Boston College, argues that the Ten Commandments were never intended as a universal moral code, but rather a covenant between God and a specific people, the Israelites. Posting the commandments, he writes in America Magazine, shows preference for one religion over others and violates the First Amendment.
As an alternative, Clifford suggests displaying the Golden Rule in the classrooms, a shared ethical principle found across many faiths and cultures.
Legal experts anticipate the issue will ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
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