Judge Strikes Down Law Requiring Display of Ten Commandments in Arkansas Classrooms

‘The only reason to display a sacred, religious text in every classroom is to proselytize to children,’ the judge said.

A copy of the Ten Commandments is posted along with other historical documents in a hallway of the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta on June 20, 2024. John Bazemore/AP Photo

A federal judge has struck down a law in Arkansas that required the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms, finding that it violated children’s rights.

Judge Timothy Brooks of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas ruled on March 16 that not enjoining the law, Act 573, would violate the religious and free exercise rights of children in public school.