A federal judge temporarily blocked some public school districts in Arkansas from displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms. (Michael Smith/Getty Images)
The Arkansas law, signed earlier this year by Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, takes effect Tuesday and requires the Ten Commandments to be prominently displayed in public school classrooms and libraries. The lawsuit against it was filed on behalf of the families by the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State and the Freedom from Religion Foundation.
Attorney General Tim Griffin, whose office defended the law, told the Associated Press he was reviewing the decision and assessing legal options.
The lawsuit named four school districts in northwest Arkansas — Fayetteville, Bentonville, Siloam Springs and Springdale — as defendants.
The plaintiffs were asking for a preliminary injunction to pause the implementation of the law while the lawsuit is pending, according to the ACLU.
"Permanently posting the Ten Commandments in every classroom and library — rendering them unavoidable — unconstitutionally pressures students into religious observance, veneration, and adoption of the state’s favored religious scripture," the lawsuit stated.
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A 6-foot high tablet of the Ten Commandments is located on the grounds of the Texas Capitol Building in Austin, Texas. (Robert Daemmrich Photography Inc/Corbis via Getty Images)
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Last month in Louisiana — the first state that mandated the Ten Commandments be displayed in classrooms — a panel of three appellate judges ruled that the law was unconstitutional.
Fox News’ Kristine Parks and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/federal-judge-blocks-arkansas-ten-commandments-law-certain-districts