Federal judge permanently blocks Ten Commandments in several Arkansas schools

A federal judge in Arkansas on Monday barred several school districts from displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms, calling the state law a tool to “proselytize” children.

In April 2025, Arkansas passed Act 573, aimed at restoring the Ten Commandments to public schools. Backed by Republicans, including Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, supporters argued they were a founding document of American law and history.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks, appointed by former President Barack Obama, struck down the law in several major districts on March 16. Brooks argued that the law’s sole purpose was to disseminate religious doctrine rather than serve a secular educational purpose.

“The purpose of Act 573 is solely to display sacred and religious text in a conspicuous place in every public school classroom,” Brooks wrote.

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A copy of the Ten Commandments is displayed with other historical documents in a hallway at the Georgia Capitol on June 20, 2024 in Atlanta. (John Bazemore/AP)

“And the only reason to display a sacred, religious text in every classroom is to proselytize to children. The state has said the quiet part out loud,” he added.

The judge also called the law “coercive,” saying it “admits that there is no educational purpose in displaying the Ten Commandments.”

The specific version of the Ten Commandments comes from the Protestant King James Bible. Several parents named in the lawsuit practice different faiths, including Judaism, Catholicism and Unitarianism, or practice no religion and took issue with the posters at school.

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A copy of the Ten Commandments is displayed in a classroom at Bagdad Elementary School in Leander, Texas, November 19, 2025. The displays were placed in accordance with a state law requiring school districts to display them in classrooms. (Jay Janner/The Austin American Statesman via Getty Images)

Brooks noted that because the posters are hung on the walls of the school, students cannot avoid reading them.

He wrote: “Similarly, children cannot avoid reading the Ten Commandments posted in their classrooms during thirteen years of compulsory schooling. »

The decision does not constitute a statewide ban but affects several large school districts in Arkansas. This comes after the 5th U.S. Court of Appeals cleared the way for passage of a similar law in Louisiana, requiring the display of Ten Commandments posters in schools.

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If the courts remain divided on the issue, the issue could reach the Supreme Court. Arkansas leaders are already promising to fight back.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Governor Sanders wrote: “In Arkansas, we actually think murder is bad and stealing is bad. It is entirely appropriate to display the Ten Commandments – the basis of all Western law and morality – as a reminder to students, state employees, and every Arkansan who enters a government building, and I look forward to appealing this lawsuit and defending our state’s values.

The Arkansas Attorney General’s Office confirmed that the state intends to appeal the decision. Jeff LeMaster, communications director for Attorney General Tim Griffin, told Fox News Digital, “We are reviewing the opinion and will appeal.”

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