Judge Halts Arkansas Ten Commandments School Display Law

A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction blocking Arkansas Act 573, which would have required a Protestant version of the Ten Commandments to be prominently displayed in all public school classrooms and libraries. U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks found the law violated both the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment, referencing Supreme Court precedent against similar measures. The ruling, which currently applies to four major Arkansas school districts, comes after legal challenges from multi-faith families represented by the ACLU and other advocacy groups. Judge Brooks criticized the law as part of a national campaign to inject Christian doctrine into public schools, with similar measures recently enacted in Texas and Louisiana. Arkansas officials are considering further legal action, and the injunction will remain in effect pending resolution of the full case. The dispute may ultimately reach the Supreme Court.