A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked an Arkansas law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments, just hours before it was set to take effect.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks granted a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit filed by seven multifaith families, ruling that Act 573 of 2025 likely violates the First Amendment. The law mandates that public school classrooms, libraries, and other taxpayer-funded buildings display a specific version of the Ten Commandments.
Brooks wrote that the law “mandates the display of expressly religious scripture” associated with Protestantism and lacks historical precedent in public education. He rejected the states claim that the law merely requires a passive display.
and cannot look away,” Brooks said.
The Fayetteville, Springdale, Bentonville, and Siloam Springs school districts were named in the lawsuit. Fayetteville schools had already received hundreds of donated posters as of Aug. 1.
John Williams, legal director for the ACLU of Arkansas, called the ruling “a victory for Arkansas families and for the First Amendment.”
Brooks noted the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a nearly identical law 45 years ago and said Act 573 appears to be part of a broader push by several states to introduce Christian doctrine into public classrooms. The injunction halts the laws implementation in the four school districts while the case proceeds.
For more on this story visit Arkansas Advocate.
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