Family Council Files Amicus Brief Defending Ten Commandments Monument in Federal Court

Ten Commandments Monument,
Above: Former Sen. Jason Rapert and then-Rep. Kim Hammer unveil Arkansas’ monument commemorating the Ten Commandments in this file photo from 2018.

On Wednesday, Family Council filed an amicus brief in the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals defending Arkansas’ monument of the Ten Commandments.

In 2015, the Arkansas General Assembly passed a law authorizing a privately funded monument of the Ten Commandments at the Capitol Building in Little Rock, and the monument was finally unveiled three years later. But almost immediately, atheist groups filed a lawsuit to remove the monument from the Capitol grounds. The case languished in federal court until a judge ruled against the monument earlier this year.

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has appealed to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals to keep the Ten Commandments monument on the State Capitol grounds. On Wednesday, attorneys from Alliance Defending Freedom representing Family Council filed an amicus brief defending the monument as well.

The amicus brief identifies a basic flaw in the lawsuit against the monument: Citizens who disagree with religion can’t march into federal court and demand any hint of religion be torn down. And the brief points out how the district court in Little Rock went against U.S. Supreme Court precedent when it ruled that anti-religion activists could demand religion be scrubbed from the public square.

The U.S. Supreme Court reviews monuments like Arkansas’ in light of their longstanding history and tradition. 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 public buildings across America.

Arkansas’ monument commemorates that same historical and cultural legacy. It’s also identical to a monument the U.S. Supreme Court ruled constitutional at the Texas Capitol Building in 2005. With all of that in mind, we believe our federal courts will ultimately let the Arkansas’ Ten Commandments monument stand proudly on the Capitol grounds.

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

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Arkansas Attorney General Asks 8th Circuit to Keep Ten Commandments Monument on Capitol Grounds

Ten Commandments Monument
Above: Former Sen. Jason Rapert and then-Rep. Kim Hammer unveil Arkansas’ monument commemorating the Ten Commandments in this file photo from 2018.

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin’s office has appealed to the 8th Circuit to keep a monument of the Ten Commandments on the State Capitol Building grounds.

In 2015 the Arkansas General Assembly passed a law authorizing a privately funded monument of the Ten Commandments at the Capitol Building in Little Rock, and the monument was finally unveiled three years later. But almost immediately, atheist groups filed a lawsuit to remove the monument from the Capitol grounds. That lawsuit languished in federal court until March 31, when a judge ruled against the monument.

However, Attorney General Tim Griffin has appealed that bad decision to the judges at the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. The appeals process so far has been scheduled to take the rest of the spring a good portion of the summer.

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 other public buildings.

Arkansas’ monument commemorates that same historical and cultural legacy. It’s also identical to a monument the U.S. Supreme Court ruled constitutional at the Texas Capitol Building in 2005. With that in mind, we believe our federal courts ultimately will 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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Atheist Groups Renew Legal Fight Against Arkansas Ten Commandments Monument

Ten Commandments Monument, ,
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.

Last Friday, a group of atheist organizations filed a new motion in federal court to remove a monument of the Ten Commandments from the Arkansas Capitol lawn.

In 2015, the Arkansas Legislature authorized a privately funded monument of the Ten Commandments on the Arkansas Capitol Building grounds. The monument is identical to one the U.S. Supreme Court ruled constitutional at the capitol building in Texas.

It was unveiled in 2018, but atheist groups like the Freedom From Religion Foundation and the Satanic Temple quickly filed a federal lawsuit to have the monument removed. The case has been in legal limbo ever since.

Earlier this year the Arkansas Legislature passed a separate law, Act 573 of 2025 by Sen. Jim Dotson (R — Bentonville) and Rep. Alyssa Brown (R — Heber Springs), authorizing privately funded Ten Commandments posters to be displayed in public schools and other public buildings in Arkansas. The measure received strong support in the Arkansas Legislature, but lawyers from the ACLU and a group of atheist organizations filed a federal lawsuit against four public school districts to block Act 573. On August 4, U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks partially blocked a state law placing copies of the Ten Commandments in Arkansas’ public schools.

The new motion against Arkansas’ Ten Commandments monument argues that the court ruling against the Ten Commandments posters in four Arkansas schools means U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker should rule against Arkansas’ Ten Commandments monument on the capitol grounds.

The new motion claims,

This Court should grant summary judgment for the Cave Plaintiffs, invalidate the Ten Commandments Monument Display Act as violating the Establishment Clause, and order that the Ten Commandments Monument located on the Arkansas State Capitol grounds be permanently removed.

The truth is Arkansas’ monument of the Ten Commandments is identical to one the U.S. Supreme Court ruled constitutional at the Texas Capitol Building in 2005.

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 other public buildings.

Arkansas’ laws commemorating the Ten Commandments honor their historical and cultural legacy. With that in mind, we believe our federal courts eventually will resolve these lawsuits and uphold Arkansas’ Ten Commandments laws as constitutional.

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

READ MORE