Overview
- The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas issued a permanent injunction against enforcing Act 573 in the Fayetteville, Springdale, Bentonville, Siloam Springs, Conway and Lakeside K–12 districts.
- Judge Timothy L. Brooks wrote that the mandate serves no educational purpose and operates to proselytize children, violating the Establishment Clause and burdening parents’ free-exercise rights.
- Act 573 requires classrooms to post a specific, unnumbered King James paraphrase of the Ten Commandments and a framed "In God We Trust" display, with no requirement for instruction or curricular integration.
- The Arkansas Attorney General’s office said it will appeal, as divergent rulings on similar laws in Louisiana and Texas increase the likelihood of further appellate review.
- The injunction is not statewide; universities are outside the K–12 order, and the University of Arkansas said it remains required by state law to display donated posters.