Arkansas Can Enforce Critical Race Theory Ban in Classrooms, Appeals Court Rules

The decision ensures that school curriculum will be set by democratically elected officials, said Arkansas attorney general.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivers the Republican response to the State of the Union address by then-President Joe Biden in Little Rock, Ark., on Feb. 7, 2023. Al Drago/Pool/Getty Images

Arkansas can enforce its ban on Critical Race Theory (CRT) in the state’s public schools, the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit said in a July 16 ruling, while dismissing the plaintiffs’ claims of free speech violation.

In January 2023, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed an executive order banning indoctrination and CRT in schools.