Arkansas
Arkansas families suing to block Ten Commandments in public classrooms, libraries
Texas lawmaker challenges Ten Commandments bill on the ‘Sabbath’
A Texas state bill that would require public schools to post donated placards of the Ten Commandments created an “ironic” moment in debate.
Seven Arkansas families have filed a federal lawsuit to block a new law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in all public school classrooms in the state, arguing that the law will infringe on their constitutional rights.
In the complaint, filed June 11 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, the families challenged an upcoming state law that requires the Ten Commandments to be “prominently” displayed in every public classroom and library. The law, which takes effect in August, was signed by Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in April.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a multifaith group of families by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU), and the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF). The defendants include four school districts — Fayetteville, Springdale, Bentonville, and Siloam Springs — in northwest Arkansas.
Attorneys for the families, who are Jewish, Unitarian Universalist, or non-religious, said the law “violates longstanding U.S. Supreme Court precedent and the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment.”
The attorneys are asking a federal judge to declare the state requirement unconstitutional. In addition to the complaint, the attorneys are planning to file a motion for a preliminary and permanent injunction to block the implementation of the law while the suit is pending.
“By imposing a Christian-centric translation of the Ten Commandments on our children for nearly every hour of every day of their public-school education, this law will infringe on our rights as parents and create an unwelcoming and religiously coercive school environment for our children,” Samantha Stinson, one of the plaintiffs, said in a statement.
The lawsuit was publicly released by the AU on June 11 and viewed by USA TODAY. The Arkansas Attorney General’s Office did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment on June 11.
Lawsuit: Ten Commandments law interferes with religious freedom
According to the complaint, the display of the Ten Commandments in public classrooms and libraries will interfere with parents’ right to direct their children’s religious education and upbringing. The lawsuit further argues that the state requirement will create a “religiously coercive” school environment for children.
Under the state law, each classroom and library will be required to post the Ten Commandments “in a conspicuous place,” the lawsuit states. The display of the text must be at least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall and be printed in a “typeface that is legible to a person with average vision from anywhere in the room,” according to the complaint.
The law also mandates that schools and libraries display a specific version of the Ten Commandments, which the suit states is associated with Protestant faiths and conflicts with the version followed by many Jews and Catholics.
“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 complaint states.
“It also sends the harmful and religiously divisive message that students who do not subscribe to the Ten Commandments … do not belong in their own school community and pressures them to refrain from expressing any faith practices or beliefs that are not aligned with the state’s religious preferences,” the complaint added.
Republican-led states push for religion in public classrooms
Authorities in Republican-led states across the country have been pushing to spread religious teachings into public school classrooms, including incorporating the Bible into lessons and requiring schools to post state-selected versions of the Ten Commandments.
School administrators and civil rights advocates have expressed opposition to the mandates, saying they violate students’ constitutional rights.
“Our Constitution’s guarantee of church-state separation means that families – not politicians – get to decide if, when and how public-school children engage with religion,” Rachel Laser, president and CEO of the AU, said in a statement on June 11.
“This law is part of the nationwide Christian Nationalist scheme to win favor for one set of religious views over all others and nonreligion — in a country that promises religious freedom. Not on our watch. We’re proud to defend the religious freedom of Arkansas schoolchildren and their families,” Laser continued.
The Arkansas law is similar to a Louisiana requirement that was signed in June 2024 by Gov. Jeff Landry. The Louisiana law was later blocked by a federal judge who declared it unconstitutional. The case, which is currently on appeal, is also being represented by the same counsel as the Arkansas lawsuit, attorneys said.
In November 2024, Texas officials proposed a curriculum that includes teachings from the Bible. The state legislature also recently passed a bill requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms. Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to sign the measure, which would take effect in September.
In July 2024, Oklahoma’s top education official ordered public schools to teach the Bible, which large state school districts have largely ignored. Despite the state’s Republican-controlled legislature’s rejection of his $3 million request to fund the effort, state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters has insisted classrooms would all have Bibles by fall 2025.
Contributing: Murray Evans, The Oklahoman, part of the USA TODAY Network
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – No. 22 Arkansas (30-16, 11-10 SEC) and No. 17 Ole Miss (31-15, 11-10 SEC) clash in a pivotal SEC series this weekend at Baum-Walker Stadium. First pitch in the opener between the Razorbacks and Rebels is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, May 1, on SEC Network+ with Brett Dolan (play-by-play) and Troy Eklund (analyst) on the call.
Game two of the weekend series gets underway at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 2, on SEC Network+ with Dolan and Eklund in the broadcast booth. Arkansas and Ole Miss conclude the weekend with a 2 p.m. first pitch in the series finale Sunday, May 3, on SEC Network with Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Chris Burke (analyst) on the call from Baum-Walker Stadium.
The Razorbacks have won five consecutive weekend series against the Rebels (2021-25), including each of the last two weekend series played inside the friendly confines of Baum-Walker Stadium in 2022 and 2024. Arkansas and Ole Miss, both 11-10 in league play, are tied for sixth in the SEC standings with nine conference games remaining in the campaign.
Schedule
Friday, May 1
#17 Ole Miss vs. #22 Arkansas – 6 p.m. – SEC Network+ – Listen – Live Stats
Saturday, May 2
#17 Ole Miss vs. #22 Arkansas – 2 p.m. – SEC Network+ – Listen – Live Stats
Sunday, May 3
#17 Ole Miss vs. #22 Arkansas – 2 p.m. – SEC Network – Listen – Live Stats
On the Mound
Friday, May 1
Ole Miss – LHP Hunter Elliott (4-1, 4.82 ERA)
Arkansas – LHP Hunter Dietz (5-2, 3.62 ERA)
Saturday, May 2
Ole Miss – RHP Cade Townsend (4-1, 2.33 ERA)
Arkansas – LHP Cole Gibler (4-1, 2.91 ERA)
Sunday, May 3
Ole Miss – RHP Taylor Rabe (3-3, 4.24 ERA)
Arkansas – TBA
Tune In
Friday and Saturday’s games between No. 22 Arkansas and No. 17 Ole Miss will stream on SEC Network+ with Brett Dolan (play-by-play) and Troy Eklund (analyst) on the call. Sunday’s series finale, meanwhile, will televise nationally on SEC Network with Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Chris Burke (analyst) in the broadcast booth at Baum-Walker Stadium.
The entire weekend series between the Razorbacks and Rebels can also be heard on the Razorback Sports Network from Learfield, including locally in Fayetteville on 92.1 FM or through the Razorback app, with Phil Elson (play-by-play) and Bubba Carpenter (analyst) on the call from Baum-Walker Stadium. A full list of radio affiliates is available here.
History Lesson
Arkansas is 64-55 overall against Ole Miss since 1982, including a 29-23 record in games played in Fayetteville, Ark. In the Dave Van Horn era (2003-pres.), the Razorbacks are 39-45 overall and 17-19 at home against the Rebels.
The Hogs, 7-3 in their last 10 games and 13-7 in their last 20 games against Ole Miss, have not lost a home weekend series to the Rebels since 2019. In the last series between the two teams at Baum-Walker Stadium in 2024, Arkansas collected its first weekend series sweep of Ole Miss since 2002 and first sweep of the Rebels in Fayetteville since 1997.
Here’s The SEC Situation
With the second half of SEC play underway, Arkansas, currently 11-10 through 21 league games, must post a 7-2 record over its final nine games of the year to reach the 18-win mark in conference play for the ninth consecutive season.
Entering the 2026 campaign, the Razorbacks have won 18 or more SEC games in eight consecutive seasons (2017-25) and are one of only two teams in conference history to accomplish the aforementioned feat. LSU is the only other SEC program to record at least eight consecutive seasons of 18 or more SEC victories (10 from 1996-2005).
Dazzlin’ Dietz
Plagued by injuries during the first two years of his collegiate career, Arkansas’ Hunter Dietz is now fully healthy and quickly proving why he is one of the top left-handers in college baseball. Through 11 starts on the mound this season, the Trinity, Fla., native owns a 5-2 record with a 3.62 ERA and an SEC-leading 92 strikeouts in 59.2 innings of work.
After beginning the season as the Razorbacks’ game two starter, Dietz will make his fourth consecutive series-opening start Friday night against the Rebels. The left-hander has turned in a team-leading six quality starts this year, the most by a Razorback pitcher in a season since LHP Zach Root logged a team-high seven quality starts during the 2025 campaign.
1. UT Arlington (Feb. 28) – 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO
2. Stetson (March 7) – 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 12 SO
3. South Carolina (March 21) – 6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 12 SO
4. #18 Auburn (April 3) – 7.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 11 SO
5. #8 Alabama (April 10) – 6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 9 SO
6. Missouri (April 23) – 7.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO
Dietz has also recorded three double-digit strikeout efforts, tied for eighth most in a season by a Razorback pitcher:
1. Stetson (March 7) – 12 SO
2. South Carolina (March 21) – 12 SO
3. #18 Auburn (April 3) – 11 SO
With his next double-digit strikeout game, Dietz will move into a tie for seventh most in a season by a Razorback pitcher:
1. 11 – Hagen Smith, 2024
T2. 8 – Nick Schmidt, 2006
T2. 8 – David Walling, 1999
T4. 6 – Trevor Stephan, 2017
T4. 6 – David Walling, 1998
6. 5 – Jess Todd, 2007
7. 4 – Isaiah Campbell, 2019
T8. 3 – Hunter Dietz, 2026
T8. 3 – Zach Root, 2025
T8. 3 – Mason Molina, 2024
T8. 3 – Blaine Knight, 2017
For complete coverage of Arkansas baseball, follow the Hogs on Twitter (@RazorbackBSB), Instagram (@RazorbackBSB) and Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Baseball).
Arkansas lawmakers have wrapped up their 2026 fiscal session, locking in how billions of dollars will be spent across the state in the year ahead.
The session, which began April 8, focused primarily on setting the state’s budget. It came to a close after Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed the Revenue Stabilization Act, finalizing a $6.7 billion spending plan for Fiscal Year 2027. The budget represents about a 3% increase from last year and will take effect July 1.
From the start of the session to its conclusion, lawmakers spent weeks negotiating how taxpayer dollars would be allocated across agencies, programs, and priorities.
“Because of their work, not only were we able to accomplish some of our top priorities this year, but they’ve set us up for what I think will be a great week next week,” Sanders said.
A significant portion of the budget is dedicated to education. That includes more than $300 million for the state’s Education Freedom Account program, also known as school vouchers, which allows families to use public funds for private education expenses. Lawmakers also set aside additional funding that could expand the program in the future.
Economic development was another major focus. The budget reserves up to $300 million for a potential large-scale project in West Memphis, aimed at bringing jobs and investment to the region.
Lawmakers also approved an increase in the state’s homestead property tax credit, raising it from $600 to $675.
Still, not every proposal made it through. Efforts to limit eligibility for the Education Freedom Account program failed during the session.
“This session sets the financial foundation for the year ahead, but there are more policy debates just around the corner,” Sanders said.
Those debates are expected to begin soon. Lawmakers are planning to return to the Capitol for a special session focused on tax cuts. The governor has proposed reducing the state income tax rate by 0.2 percent, a move that could return more than $180 million to Arkansans.
“We want it to be pretty singularly focused on providing relief to Arkansans, letting them keep more of their hard-earned money,” Sanders said.
If approved, the tax cuts would mark another step in the state’s ongoing effort to lower income taxes, with more decisions expected in the coming days.
Only a very low risk of storms continues in southern Arkansas on Wednesday evening, then shower chances are possible Wednesday evening and overnight in central and southern Arkansas.
A stray shower is possible on Thursday, but most will be dry with mostly cloudy skies and cooler-than-normal temperatures. Highs will reach the upper 60s in central Arkansas on Thursday.
More rain chances move in Friday, but chances are highest for southern Arkansas. A few stray storms are also possible in southern Arkansas on Friday into pre-dawn Saturday.
Conditions are dry this weekend, with temperatures warming throughout the weekend. More rain chances return next week, and the 80s are back by Sunday into Monday.
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