Act 573 of Arkansas

Act 573 of Arkansas
Arkansas State Legislature
Long title AN ACT REGARDING THE DISPLAY OF THE NATIONAL MOTTO AND THE TEN COMMANDMENTS; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
Citation	§1-4-133
Territorial extent	State of Arkansas
Passed	April 7, 2025
Signed	April 14, 2025
Legislative history
Introduced	March 11, 2025
Passed	March 19, 2025
Voting summary	27 voted for 4 voted against
Voting summary	71 voted for
Voting summary	20 Votes voted against
Status: Not yet in force

Act 573 of Arkansas or SB 433 is a law that requires the display of the Ten Commandments in all public schools and local government buildings. It was introduced by Senate Jim Dotson and was signed into law by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders on April 14, 2025. ^{[1] [2]} The law is similar to others in Oklahoma and Louisiana, the latter of which was blocked by a federal judge in November 2024. ^{[3] [4]}

In August 2025, enforcement of the law was blocked by a federal judge in the Western District of Arkansas. ^{[5] [6] [7]}

Lawsuit

For the court case, see Stinson v. Fayetteville School District No. 1.

On June 11, 2025, seven families sued in the U.S District Court for the Western District of Arkansas arguing that the law went against their faith and that there is no long history of displaying the ten commandments in public schools in the United States. The lawsuit is backed by the Freedom from Religion Foundation, the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State. ^[8]

In August, the federal judge for the Western District of Arkansas, Timothy L. Brooks, blocked the law from being enforced, stating the reason the law was written was "most likely because the state is part of a coordinated strategy among several states to inject Christian religious doctrine". ^{[5] [6] [7]}

References

1. 10 Commandments now in Arkansas classrooms by law
2. SB433 Bill Information - Arkansas State Legislature
3. Rojas, Rick (June 19, 2024). "Louisiana Requires All Public Classrooms to Display Ten Commandments". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 27, 2024. Retrieved December 12, 2025.
4. Federal judge blocks Louisiana's Ten Commandments law in public schools - NBC News
5. Grajeda, Antoinette (2025-08-05). "Court blocks new Arkansas law requiring Ten Commandments in classrooms". Arkansas Advocate. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
6. Hale-Shelton, Debra (2025-08-05). "UPDATE: Federal judge stops Ten Commandments law from taking full effect pending lawsuit". Arkansas Times. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
7. "Arkansas law requiring Ten Commandments in public schools blocked by federal judge". thv11.com. 2025-08-04. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
8. ACLU, parents sue Fayetteville schools over Arkansas law requiring Ten Commandments be displayed in schools - Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette