A.G., School Districts Push Back Against Lawsuit Over Ten Commandments Displays

Religious Freedom, ,

Last week, public school districts and the Arkansas Attorney General’s office asked a federal court to dismiss the lawsuit over a measure placing copies of the Ten Commandments in Arkansas’ public schools and buildings.

Act 573 of 2025 by Sen. Jim Dotson (R — Bentonville) and Rep. Alyssa Brown (R — Heber Springs) requires privately-funded copies of the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public schools and other public buildings in Arkansas.

The measure received strong support in the Arkansas Legislature earlier this year, and Act 573 is slated to take effect in August.

However, in an effort to block Act 573, lawyers from the ACLU and a group of atheist organizations filed a federal lawsuit against four public school districts:

  • The Fayetteville School District
  • The Springdale School District
  • The Bentonville School District
  • The Siloam Springs School District

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has intervened in the case as well, and his office is defending Act 573.

Last Wednesday, lawyers for the school districts and the A.G.’s office asked U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks to dismiss the case.

The school districts argue the plaintiffs lack standing to sue the school districts and that the case is premature.

In a separate brief, Attorney General Griffin’s office argued Act 573 is constitutional because “the Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized, the Ten Commandments have enormous historical significance ‘in America’s heritage.'” Attorneys for the A.G.’s office also argued the case is premature and should be dismissed.

Over the years, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that states are free to honor and recognize documents or symbols that are important to our nation’s history — like the Ten Commandments or the national motto.

The Ten Commandments are one of the earliest examples of the rule of law, and they have had a profound impact in shaping our society and our government.

During her testimony in support of Act 573 last April, Rep. Alyssa Brown noted that the U.S. Supreme Court uses a “longstanding history and tradition test” to decide if it is constitutional to display something like a copy of the Ten Commandments. Rep. Brown said, “The Ten Commandments without a doubt will pass this longstanding history and tradition test.”

We believe our federal courts ultimately will agree and uphold Act 573 as constitutional.

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

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Preschools Close as China’s Family Crisis Deepens

China, ,

A recent article at The American Spectator highlights how anti-family policies have contributed to China’s looming population crisis.

Ellie Gardey Holmes writes,

Data released by China’s Ministry of Education last month revealed an astonishing reality: In the past two years alone, 36,000 preschools across China have shuttered their doors.

This is not due to a decline in the popularity of preschool or consolidation on the part of the Chinese government. Rather, these preschools have closed simply because not enough children to attend them were born.

The article notes that births in China have dropped by nearly half since 2016, and there are some 12 million fewer preschoolers in China today than in 2020. Many of these problems seem to trace back to China’s communist government enforcing a strict “one-child” policy for many years. Even though the government has abandoned that policy, fewer families are forming in China.

This is not the first time pundits have expressed concern over China’s declining population. In 2020, officials from the Chinese Communist Party said China’s fertility rate had fallen to dangerously low levels, with fewer couples marrying and starting families. In early 2023, China’s National Bureau of Statistics released data showing the country’s population had begun plummeting. And last year The Guardian reported that several kindergartens in China had been converted into elderly care facilities as a result of the country’s falling birthrate and aging population.

Most developed nations are dealing with declining birthrates — including countries like Japan and the U.S. — but not to the same degree as China.

Without a growing population, it’s difficult for countries to maintain strong communities, a vibrant workforce, or a healthy economy. The Chinese Communist Party spent decades promoting the idea that having fewer children would be good for China, but that simply is not how society works.

Societies thrive off healthy, stable families. That’s part of the reason Family Council has spent more than 35 years promoting, protecting, and strengthening traditional family values in Arkansas. When families succeed, everyone benefits.

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

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