Press Release: Arkansas Freethinkers Help Secure a Win for the First Amendment
(Little Rock, AR, April 3, 2026)
Legislators and governors occasionally pass unconstitutional laws, and these errors may be remedied by the courts. In Arkansas, the 2015 Ten Commandments Monument Display Act and the placement of a Ten Commandments monument in 2018 were found by a federal court to each violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
The court’s sweeping decision was detailed in a 148-page explanation of the evidence, precedent, and legal reasoning, finding that the Ten Commandments monument conveyed “a message that the Christian religion is favored.”
The Arkansas Society of Freethinkers has been a co-plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the religious monument on the grounds of our State Capitol, alongside the American Civil Liberties Union, The Freedom From Religion Foundation, the American Humanist Association, and other plaintiffs.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas issued a press release in which John Williams, Legal Director of the ACLU of Arkansas noted
“This decision carefully walks through both history and precedent and reaches the right conclusion: the state cannot take sides in matters of religion… The Constitution requires government neutrality — not favoritism, not endorsement, and not promotion of religious doctrine. That principle protects everyone, regardless of what they believe.”
The American Humanist Association’s Legal Director Amitai Heller adds
“State capitals should be welcoming to all citizens, and this ruling rightfully rejects this effort to promote one specific set of religious beliefs above all others – including the right to not believe at all… This decision affirms the First Amendment’s bedrock constitutional principle of church-state separation, which ensures these very freedoms.”
The Freedom From Religion Foundation issued a press release in which FFRF Co-President Annie Laure Gaylor noted
“The state of Arkansas has no business telling citizens which gods to worship — or whether to worship at all. The First Commandment is a direct violation of the First Amendment… We are delighted the court recognizes that placing a biblical monument at the seat of government violates one of our most fundamental constitutional protections.”
The case illustrates the increasing role local grassroots organizations play in cases of church-state separation or religious discrimination. Individuals or organizations interested in joining or assisting the Arkansas Society of Freethinkers may learn more at arfreethinkers.org .
The Arkansas Society of Freethinkers is a 501(c)3 organization whose purpose and mission is “…to promote the secular, non-theistic, humanist viewpoint as a valid contribution to public discourse. We strive to protect the First Amendment guarantee of separation of church and state and work in coalition with like-minded people and organizations where joint action is needed to maintain this separation. Our Society seeks to enrich the community by hosting and developing informative activities and events, and to encourage and facilitate public dialogue in matters of science, reason and tolerance. The Arkansas Society of Freethinkers operates in an open manner, without discrimination as to gender, race, age, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, nationality, religion, or disability.”
The State of Arkansas has 30 days to appeal the decision to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals.
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Freedom From Religion Foundation press release: https://ffrf.org/news/releases/breaking-ffrf-court-victory-federal-judge-rules-arkansas-ten-commandments-monument-unconstitutional/
American Humanist Association press release: https://www.humanistlegalcenter.org/single-post/federal-judge-sides-with-humanists-on-monumental-10-commandments-victory-in-arkansas
American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas press release: https://www.acluarkansas.org/press-releases/federal-court-strikes-down-ten-commandments-monument-at-arkansas-state-capitol-as-unconstitutional/
