By: Hannah Moore

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) — On Monday, March 16, District Judge Timothy Brooks, in case Stinson v. Fayetteville School District No. 1, blocked K-12 public school districts from complying with the Ten Commandments Act 573 of Arkansas.

The ruling stems from a law signed by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders on April 14, 2025, requiring Arkansas schools to display the Ten Commandments derived from the Protestant King James Bible in classrooms and libraries.

“The state legislature passed a bill that required schools in Arkansas to put up what they referred to as a historic display of the Ten Commandments and that display had to be in every classroom,” Professor Miguel Rivera at John Brown University said. “The governor signed that bill into law, and then this lawsuit was filed by parents from multiple counties challenging the law under the United States Constitution and First Amendment.”

The plaintiffs, or families, filed a joint lawsuit on August 5, 2025, specifically regarding the Fayetteville, Springdale, Bentonville, and Siloam Springs school districts. Other plaintiffs included Conway and Lakeside public schools totaling six Arkansas school districts preliminarily enjoined, or restricted from complying with Act 573 until a decision was made. One of the plaintiff’s in this case put out a statement explaining why she believes the Ten Commandments should be taken down.

“The version of the Ten Commandments mandated by Act 573 conflicts with our family’s jewish tenets and practice, and our belief that our children should receive their religious instruction at home and within our faith community, not from government officials,” Plaintiff Samantha Stinson said.

Judge Brooks ruled the law unconstitutional under the First Amendment Establishment and Free Exercise Clause, granting the plaintiffs motion.

“The Constitution says Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, so it’s an Establishment Clause case,” Rivera said. “The 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution applies the First Amendment to the states, so the judge was asked to decide whether the state law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in all classrooms violated the Establishment Clause.”

One key argument in the case focused on whether the Ten Commandments could be presented as a historical document rather than a religious one.

“The English common law is part of the history of the law’s development, and so when you put the Ten Commandments in the context of other historical documents and or symbols, then the Ten Commandments loses its religiosity,” Rivera said. “I think that that’s a different thing than if it’s in every single class, because the context matters.”

The ruling by Judge Brooks will not apply to the University of Arkansas or any institution that is not a public K-12 school district in the state of Arkansas. The decision is subject to appeal through the federal court system. If appealed, the higher courts will review the ruling where a broader decision could impact similar laws nationwide.