A federal judge has ruled that the Ten Commandments monument at the Arkansas State Capitol must be removed after determining it violates the U.S. Constitution.
United States Chief District Judge Kristine Baker found the monument unconstitutional under the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, which prohibits government endorsement of a specific religion.
“This Court does not take lightly a request to declare that a state law is unconstitutional,” Baker wrote in her summary judgment. “Instead, the Court determines that the removal of the Ten Commandments Monument is the appropriate remedy.”
The monument, first installed in 2018 after passage of the Display Act, displays the full text of the Ten Commandments. The court ruled the law unconstitutional, stating the monument was explicitly religious without sufficient historical context.
Despite the ruling, the monument will remain in place temporarily as the State of Arkansas appeals the decision to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
The lawsuit was filed by a group of individuals and organizations who argued the monument violated their religious freedom by promoting one religion over others.
Arkansas Secretary of State Cole Jester responded, saying the Ten Commandments are foundational to Western legal tradition and that the state will continue defending the monument in court.
The ruling comes just weeks after a separate federal decision blocked 6 Arkansas school districts from displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms, signaling ongoing legal battles over religious displays in public spaces.
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