Arkansas families are suing to block the 10 Commandments from being displayed in public school classrooms as required by a new state law.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a bill into law in April requiring the Ten Commandments and the "national motto, ‘In God We Trust’" to be "prominently" displayed on posters in Arkansas classrooms and public buildings. The school mandate takes effect in August.
The posters, which must meet a certain size requirement, must be donated or funded through private donations, the law states. Schools are allowed to use public funds or donations to replace any noncompliant display with a compliant display.
A coalition of multi-faith families argued in their legal challenge that the religious display requirement violates their religious freedom and parental rights.
An Arkansas 10 Commandments law is being challenged in court. (Michael Smith/Getty Images)
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"Permanently posting the Ten Commandments in every classroom and library — rendering them unavoidable — unconstitutionally pressures students into religious observance, veneration, and adoption of the state’s favored religious scripture," the lawsuit states.
"It also sends the harmful and religiously divisive message that students who do not subscribe to the Ten Commandments—or, more precisely, to the specific version of the Ten Commandments that Act 573 requires schools to display—do not belong in their own school community and pressures them to refrain from expressing any faith practices or beliefs that are not aligned with the state’s religious preferences."
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the families by the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State and the Freedom from Religion Foundation.
"As American Jews, my husband and I deeply value the ability to raise our children in our faith, without interference from the government," Plaintiff Samantha Stinson said in a press release. "By imposing a Christian-centric translation of the Ten Commandments on our children for nearly every hour of every day of their public-school education, this law will infringe on our rights as parents and create an unwelcoming and religiously coercive school environment for our children."
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is pictured here in Little Rock, Ark., on Feb. 7, 2023. (Al Drago/Pool Photo via AP, File)
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It names four school districts in northwest Arkansas — Fayetteville, Bentonville, Siloam Springs and Springdale — as defendants.
The plaintiffs are asking for a preliminary injunction to pause the implementation of the law while the lawsuit is pending, according to the ACLU.
Fayetteville Public Schools, Bentonville Schools and Siloam Springs School District told Fox News Digital they do not comment on pending litigation but "it appears after reviewing the court filing, that the lawsuit aims to challenge the constitutionality of a new Arkansas law that will take effect in August rather than challenging any action taken by [the school districts named in the lawsuit]."
Springdale Schools did not immediately return a request for comment.
Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry speaks in the House Chamber in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Jan. 15, 2024. (Michael Johnson/The Advocate via AP, Pool, File)
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed a similar bill into law last year which has also faced legal challenges.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the measure before it was to take effect in January, calling it "unconstitutional on its face."
Louisiana defended the religious display in a federal appeals court in January.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.