Arkansas Attorney General Asks 8th Circuit to Keep Ten Commandments Monument on Capitol Grounds
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.
Arkansas Watches as Appeals Court Rules Ten Commandments Can Stay in Texas Classrooms
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.