Religious Display Law Faces Major Challenge
A coalition of progressive advocacy groups has filed a lawsuit challenging a new Arkansas law that mandates the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) jointly filed the legal complaint on behalf of a group of parents from various religious backgrounds.
The suit targets Act 573, a measure signed by Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders in April, slated to take effect this August. The plaintiffs argue that the law violates constitutional protections by requiring religious texts to be displayed in public educational spaces.
According to the filing, Act 573 “clearly favors religion,” compelling schools to post a specific version of the Ten Commandments in every classroom and library. The lawsuit further claims that the mandated version reflects a Protestant interpretation, privileging one religious viewpoint over others and thereby establishing an official religious preference through state law.
The complaint also raises concerns about the effect on students from non-Christian families, stating that these children would be “unavoidably exposed to the state’s religious message throughout the school day.” The plaintiffs assert that such exposure pressures students to conform to religious norms they may not share, discouraging them from practicing or expressing their own beliefs—or lack thereof.
Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United, stated that the Constitution protects the right of families—not government officials—to guide their children’s religious upbringing. “This law is part of a broader Christian Nationalist campaign to give preferential treatment to one religious ideology over others and to nonbelief, which is contrary to our nation’s core commitment to religious freedom,” Laser said.
Act 573, originally introduced as Senate Bill 433, directs public schools and taxpayer-funded buildings to prominently display both the national motto “In God We Trust” and the Ten Commandments. The bill passed the Republican-majority Arkansas Senate by a 27–4 vote and the House by a 71–20 margin.
Defending the legislation, Republican State Senator Jim Dotson argued that the Ten Commandments are not inherently religious in a legal sense, but represent foundational moral principles. He emphasized their historical significance and stated that the current U.S. Supreme Court would likely view the law favorably under a stricter interpretation of the Constitution.
However, legal precedent suggests otherwise. In the 1980 case Stone v. Graham, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
A similar law passed last year in Louisiana is also being challenged in court by the same trio of advocacy groups, highlighting a broader legal battle over religious expression in public education.