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Arkansas Watches as Appeals Court Rules Ten Commandments Can Stay in Texas Classrooms

Apr 27, 2026Jerry CoxReligious FreedomReligious Freedom, Religious Liberty, Ten Commandments

A federal appeals court ruled last week that Texans can display the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms.

The Ten Commandments are one of the earliest examples of the rule of law in human history, and federal courts have ruled that state and local governments can recognize their longstanding tradition and influence in American society. But groups like the ACLU have opposed public displays of the Ten Commandments nationwide.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said last week that Texas’ law placing the Ten Commandments in school classrooms does not violate the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. The court noted that “no child is required to recite the Commandments, believe them, or affirm their divine origin.”

This is not the first victory we have seen in the 5th Circuit this year. Louisiana has a similar Ten Commandments law, and the 5th Circuit lifted an injunction against it in February.

Arkansans should pay close attention to these court cases in Texas and Louisiana. Last year, Arkansas enacted a law letting people donate posters of the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms and public buildings. Unfortunately, a federal judge has ruled against the posters at schools in Arkansas.

The 5th Circuit’s decision is a strong signal that laws like Arkansas’ are on solid constitutional ground. With that in mind, we believe our federal courts ultimately will uphold the law and let Arkansans display the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms.

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

Federal Grand Jury Charges Southern Poverty Law Center with Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering

Apr 27, 2026Jerry CoxCurrent EventsCurrent Events, SPLC

Last week, a federal Grand Jury in Alabama charged the left-wing Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) with 11 counts of wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured bank, and conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering.

The SPLC has spent decades opposing white supremacy while also branding Christian organizations like Family Research Council and Focus on the Family as “hate groups” on par with Neo-Nazis and the KKK.

The group has also urged financial institutions to de-bank conservative organizations.

But last week an indictment from a federal Grand Jury said the SPLC has secretly funneled more than $3 million to a covert network of informants affiliated with groups like the Ku Klux Klan.

According to the indictment, the SPLC laundered donations through shell companies to people in the very groups the SPLC claimed it was working to dismantle.

The indictment says one SPLC contact from the National Alliance was paid more than $1,000,000 between 2014 and 2023. According to the indictment, the informant helped fundraise for the National Alliance while also providing the SPLC with stolen documents.

The indictment says the SPLC paid another informant $270,000 while helping plan and coordinate transportation to the 2017 “Unite the Right” event in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Other informants were listed on the SPLC’s own “Extremist File” fundraising webpage at the same time the SPLC was secretly paying them.

The indictment says the SPLC also used these informants to indirectly funnel money to other violent extremist group leaders.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche put it plainly: “The SPLC is manufacturing racism to justify its existence.”

What the SPLC did isn’t just hypocritical. According to federal prosecutors, it’s fraud.

Arkansas families and churches should pay attention. The SPLC’s “hate group” list has been used to pressure banks, employers, and government agencies to treat Christians and conservatives like dangerous extremists. This indictment should make it clear that the SPLC’s “hate group” list isn’t trustworthy.

Family Council plans to continue monitoring this case as it moves forward.

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

From Capitol Gains to Cannabis Pains: The Week in Review

Apr 24, 2026Jerry CoxCurrent EventsUpdate, Weekly Rewind

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Here’s a quick recap of the week’s top stories from Family Council and our friends:

From Family Council

🍎 Arkansas’ Educational Freedom Account Rules (What Happened and What Comes Next): Over the past several months, Arkansas homeschool families have raised serious concerns about new rules affecting homeschoolers participating in the state’s Educational Freedom Account (EFA) program. Here is a brief recap of how we got to where we are today and where things may go from here. Keep Reading.

🏛️ Bad Homeschool Measure Fails in Arkansas Senate: On Tuesday, the second of two bad homeschool Educational Freedom Account measures at the Arkansas Capitol failed. Keep Reading.

🚨 Arkansas Authorities Continue Seizing THC Products from Out of State: On April 4, a State Trooper discovered approximately 650 pounds of mushroom‑based edible gummies and 718 pounds of THC‑infused gummies during a traffic stop on I-40 in Crawford County. The driver told investigators he was traveling from California to Georgia. Keep Reading.

🚔 CA Authorities Seize 20K+ Illegal Marijuana Plants in Raids: Nationwide, states like California and Colorado have legalized marijuana believing it would help stop illegal drug trafficking, and marijuana’s supporters often claim their laws contain safeguards and oversight to stop criminals. But legalization has actually emboldened drug cartels and spread illegal marijuana on the black market. Keep Reading.

❗ DOJ Report Confirms Biden Administration Weaponized Federal Law Against Pro-Lifers: The U.S. Department of Justice released a report last week confirming what many pro-life Americans have suspected for years: the Biden Administration used the power of the federal government to target and punish people for their pro-life beliefs. Keep Reading.

💰 Louisville Pays $800K After Trying to Silence Christian Photographer: Last month a Kentucky city learned a costly lesson about the First Amendment. Keep Reading.

➡ Kansas Legislature Stands Up for Free Speech, Life, and Families with Laws Similar to Arkansas’: The Kansas Legislature made headlines recently by overriding Governor Laura Kelly’s vetoes of several important bills — such as bills protecting free speech on college campuses, defunding Planned Parenthood, strengthening women’s informed consent laws, and expanding education freedom for families. All of these measures are similar to good laws Arkansas has enacted over the years. Keep Reading.

⛪ New Poll Shows Young Men Are Growing More Religious: Gallup’s latest polling data shows 42% of men aged 18 to 29 say religion is very important to them — up sharply from just 28% in 2022-2023. Gallup draws the odd conclusion from this that “political dynamics may be playing a role in religious changes,” but that may not necessarily be what’s driving these numbers. Keep Reading