Religion in Public Schools

A federal judge, Timothy L. Brooks, struck down an Arkansas law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments, writing that “nothing could possibly justify hanging the Ten Commandments – with or without historical context – in a calculus, chemistry, French, or woodworking class,” after seven Arkansas families of varied religious and nonreligious backgrounds sued six school districts in 2024. The decision’s reach beyond those districts is uncertain—though the ACLU urged schools not to post the posters—and Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said she will appeal as Republicans push similar measures nationwide, including a Louisiana order by Gov. Jeff Landry to post poster-sized displays after an en banc Fifth Circuit action, with related Texas and Louisiana mandates winding through federal courts.