Atheist Groups Continue Legal Battle Against Arkansas’ Ten Commandments Monument

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Above: Former Sen. Jason Rapert and then-Rep. Kim Hammer unveil Arkansas’ monument commemorating the Ten Commandments in this file photo from 2018. Atheist organizations filed a lawsuit to have the monument removed, but the case has remained in limbo for seven years.

Opponents of Arkansas’ Ten Commandments monument continue to request summary judgment to have it removed from the capitol grounds.

In 2015, the Arkansas Legislature passed Act 1231 authorizing 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.

Last week, plaintiffs in the case filed a notice arguing that federal court rulings over Ten Commandments displays in Louisiana support their request for summary judgment against Arkansas’ monument.

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 have appeared in artwork at courthouses and similar locations.

Arkansas’ Ten Commandments monument commemorates their cultural and historical 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.

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Arkansas A.G. to Host Free Social Media Summit in October

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Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin will host a free social media summit in October.

In an announcement on Facebook, Attorney General Griffin said the summit will look at social media addiction as well as dangers from scams and foreign adversaries such as China.

Around the country, state legislators have recognized that social media can be hazardous for teens. These platforms rely on specialized algorithms to suggest content to users. As users look at social media content, the algorithms make a point to recommend similar material in the future — a process sometimes called “rabbit holing.”

If users view inappropriate or harmful material on social media, the algorithm will suggest similar content in the future. As a result, social media platforms like TikTok often serve teens what some have called a steady “diet of darkness.”

In 2023 the Arkansas Attorney General’s office filed two lawsuits against Chinese-based company ByteDance — the corporation that owns TikTok — and one lawsuit against Meta — the company that owns Facebook and Instagram.

The lawsuits highlight how the platforms jeopardize users’ personal data and “exploit human psychology and foster addiction to maximize users’ screen time.”

As we have said for years, social media platforms are more than just websites or phone apps. These are multimillion-dollar businesses. The people who own and profit from these companies have a responsibility to protect their users.

Family Council is not aware of any attorney general in America who is doing more to hold social media giants accountable than Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin. Registration details about the A.G.’s social media summit are available here.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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