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A federal judge blocked an Arkansas law requiring public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments in a handful of the state's districts
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The ruling from District Judge Timothy Brooks only impacts four of the state's 237 districts
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Brooks, an appointee of President Obama in 2012, called the law obviously unconstitutional in his 35-page ruling
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saying it's a coordinated strategy among several states to inject Christian doctrine into public school classrooms
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The injunction comes as states like Texas and Louisiana pass similar laws requiring the Ten Commandments in public classrooms
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Arkansas's law mandates the commandments be displayed prominently in public classrooms and libraries
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It was signed into law by Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and took effect Tuesday for most of the state
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The lawsuit, filed on behalf of families by the ACLU and other organizations, argues the statute violates the Constitution's separation of state
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The plaintiffs say it forces students to adhere to a favored state religion and sought the law to be temporarily blocked as their lawsuit plays out
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The ACLU of Arkansas celebrated the temporary injunction, saying it upheld every student's right to learn free from government-imposed faith
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Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, who defended the law, responded to the ruling saying he's weighing the remaining legal options
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Similar mandates in Texas and Louisiana are also facing legal challenges. Families and religious leaders have filed a lawsuit against Texas to block the state's requirement
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Last month, Louisiana, the first state to require the Ten Commandments in schools
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had its law ruled unconstitutional by three appellate judges. However, challenges to those rulings are expected
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and the laws are expected to reach the Supreme Court as the legal cases continue
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