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The federal lawsuit challenges a measure Republican Gov. Sarah
Huckabee Sanders signed into law earlier this year, similar to a
requirement enacted by Louisiana and one that Texas' governor
has said he'll sign.
The Arkansas law takes effect in August and requires the Ten
Commandments to be prominently displayed in public school
classrooms and libraries.
“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 said.
The suit 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. The
lawsuit names four school districts in northwest Arkansas —
Fayetteville, Bentonville, Siloam Springs and Springdale — as
defendants.
A spokesperson for Fayetteville schools said the district would
not comment on pending litigation, while the other three
districts did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A spokesperson for Attorney General Tim Griffin said his office
was reviewing the lawsuit and considering options.
Attorneys for the families, who are Jewish, Unitarian
Universalist or nonreligious, said they planned to ask the
federal judge in Fayetteville for a preliminary injunction
blocking the law's enforcement. The attorneys say the law
violates longstanding Supreme Court precedent and the families'
First Amendment rights.
“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," Samantha Stinson,
one of the plaintiffs, said in a news release.
Louisiana was the first state to enact such a requirement, and a
federal judge blocked the measure before it was to take effect
Jan 1. Proponents of Louisiana's law say that ruling only
applies to the five school boards listed in the suit, but The
Associated Press is unaware of any posters being displayed in
schools as the litigation continues.
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Associated Press Writer Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
contributed to this report
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