On June 11th, 2025, FFRF and a coalition filed a lawsuit on behalf of a multifaith group of seven families with children in Arkansas public schools to block a new state law requiring all public classrooms to display the Ten Commandments.
Arkansas Act 573 of 2025 requires all public school classrooms and libraries to display the Ten Commandments on posters measuring at least 16-by-20 inches, positioned in a “conspicuous place.” The law specifies that the text must be printed in a size and typeface legible to anyone with average vision from anywhere in the room. Additionally, the statute mandates use of a specific version of the Ten Commandments associated with Protestant denominations—a version selected by state lawmakers rather than individual schools or communities.
The plaintiffs—who are Jewish, Unitarian Universalist and nonreligious—assert that the statute violates longstanding U.S. Supreme Court precedent and the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas. The plaintiffs are represented by the ACLU, the ACLU of Arkansas, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, and FFRF. Legal Director Patrick Elliot, Senior Litigation Counsel Sam Grover, and Staff Attorney Nancy Noet are serving as co-counsel.
