Ten Commandments Monument Returning to Capitol Lawn Next Week

Religion

A monument of the Ten Commandments will return to the Arkansas Capitol Lawn next week, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

The Arkansas Legislature authorized the privately financed monument in 2015, and it was installed on the capitol grounds last year.

Unfortunately, less than 24 hours after it was placed on the lawn, a Van Buren man plowed a car into the monument, destroying it.

The new monument is a duplicate of the original, but it will be flanked by concrete barriers to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Meanwhile, the ACLU has promised to sue the state as soon as the monument is put in place — even though an identical monument was ruled constitutional in Texas some years ago.

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Ten Commandments Monument to Return this Spring

Religion, ,

According to UALR Public Radio, a new monument of the Ten Commandments will be built on the Capitol lawn sometime this spring:

A new Ten Commandments monument will likely be placed at the Arkansas State Capitol in April. It’s a replacement for one destroyed last June, less than 24 hours after it was unveiled, by a driver who intentionally crashed his car into it.

Chris Powell, a spokesman for the Secretary of State’s office, says they’ve decided to wait until after the legislature wraps up the fiscal session, then a special session, so that the grounds won’t be as busy and heavy equipment can be brought in.

You may recall the Arkansas Legislature authorized the monument in 2015.

Many expect the replacement monument to include some sort of barricade or other feature to prevent it from being destroyed by another vehicle.

Meanwhile the ACLU has said it plans to file a lawsuit against the State of Arkansas as soon as the monument is built — despite the fact courts have ruled an identical monument in Texas constitutional.

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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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