Rebuilt Ten Commandments Monument One Step Closer to Capitol Lawn

Religious Freedom, ,

In 2015 Sen. Jason Rapert (R – Bigelow) sponsored a law authorizing a monument of the Ten Commandments on the Arkansas State Capitol Grounds. It was placed on the Capitol lawn on June 27, 2017.

Less than 24 hours later, a man plowed a vehicle into the monument, completely destroying it.

In late October we learned the monument had been reconstructed and would be placed on the Capitol lawn in the near future.

Today a subcommittee of the Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission approved a proposal to reinstall the monument and make it more secure by adding concrete barriers to prevent a vehicle from destroying it again.

The Associated Press reports a public hearing on the proposed changes will be held this week before they go before the full commission next week.

Meanwhile, the ACLU has said it plans to file a lawsuit against the State of Arkansas as soon as the monument is back on the Capitol Grounds. They say the monument is unconstitutional and has no place on public property — even though the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled an identical monument constitutional in Texas.

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A.G. Rejects Fifteenth Recreational Marijuana Proposal Since May

Marijuana

Last week Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge rejected yet another proposal to legalize “recreational” marijuana in Arkansas.

The A.G.’s office said there were “fundamental defects in the submission” that prevented the measure from being approved. By our count, her office has rejected fourteen similar measures since May of this year.

To put it simply, marijuana’s proponents are not content with so-called “medical marijuana.”

As we have said before: “Medical marijuana” is just a stepping stone. The endgame for marijuana’s supporters is — and always has been — full legalization.

You can read the A.G.’s full opinion here.

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A.G.’s Office Files Brief Defending Pro-Life Laws in Federal Court

Abortion, , ,

Last week Attorney General Leslie Rutledge’s office filed a formal brief defending four of Arkansas’ pro-life laws before the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The laws are:

  • Act 45, which prohibits certain abortion procedures—such as D&E abortion procedures—in which an unborn baby is dismembered.
  • Act 733, which prohibits abortions performed due to the baby’s sex. It contains a provision requiring the doctor to request the pregnant woman’s medical records pertaining to her pregnancy history before performing the abortion.
  • Act 1018, which expanded state laws requiring reporting of abortions performed on girls under the age of 17.
  • Act 603, which prohibits biomedical and behavioral research on aborted fetal remains and helps ensure aborted babies will be properly buried or cremated.
  • Act 383, which clarifies that abortion clinics will be inspected at least annually; that the inspections will be unannounced; and that any clinic that fails inspection will have its license to perform abortions suspended immediately.

U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker blocked all four laws last summer. The A.G.’s office is asking the Eighth Circuit to reverse her order and reinstate these good laws.

Given some of the recent, pro-life victories in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, a good ruling in this case seems likely.

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