Seven Years Later, Still No End in Sight for Lawsuit Over Arkansas’ Ten Commandments Monument
Today marks the seventh anniversary of a lawsuit over Arkansas’ monument of the Ten Commandments on the state capitol lawn — and there does not seem to be any end in sight.
A decade ago, the Arkansas Legislature passed Act 1231 of 2015 by former Sen. Jason Rapert and then-Rep. Kim Hammer.
Act 1231 authorized placement of a privately funded monument of the Ten Commandments on the Arkansas Capitol Building grounds. Forty state legislators co-sponsored Act 1231. It received strong, bipartisan support, and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson signed Act 1231 into law.
Arkansas’ monument of the Ten Commandments — which is identical to one the U.S. Supreme Court ruled constitutional at the capitol building in Texas — was unveiled in 2018. But it did not take long for atheist groups like the Freedom From Religion Foundation and the Satanic Temple to file a federal lawsuit to have it removed.
The case began May 23, 2018, and it originally was set to go to trial in July of 2020. But U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker postponed the trial due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, both sides in the lawsuit have asked Judge Baker to resolve the case, but the case remains in legal limbo.
As we have said many times, there shouldn’t be anything controversial about a monument honoring the significance of the Ten Commandments.
Historians have long recognized the Ten Commandments as one of the earliest examples of the rule of law in human history, and they have helped shape philosophy and laws in countries around the world.
That’s why the Ten Commandments traditionally has appeared in artwork at courthouses and similar locations. In fact, last month Arkansas passed a law to place posters of the Ten Commandments in public schools and public buildings across the state.
Arkansas’ monument of the Ten Commandments commemorates their historical and cultural legacy. With that in mind, we believe our federal courts eventually will resolve this lawsuit and uphold Arkansas’ Ten Commandments monument as constitutional.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.
