Overview
- An Arkansas federal court, which ruled Tuesday, ordered the State Capitol’s Ten Commandments monument removed and put the order on hold during the appeal.
- Chief Judge Kristine Baker concluded the 2015 Ten Commandments Monument Display Act endorses Christianity and acts coercively in violation of the First Amendment.
- The ruling also found an equal-protection violation because officials blocked The Satanic Temple from competing to place its Baphomet statue on the Capitol grounds.
- The 148-page opinion distinguished older Ten Commandments cases by pointing to the monument’s recent installation and GoFundMe funding led by ex–Sen. Jason Rapert with major gifts from Agape Church and PureFlix.
- Arkansas officials plan to defend the law at the Eighth Circuit, and the outcome could guide how governments handle religious displays on public property after years of fights over this monument.