What do you do when you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place? Two Arkansas higher education institutions are choosing the rock. All but six public schools will have to make their own decisions.
The rock is the law plus the lawsuit that could come as a result of obeying it. Act 573, passed last year, says every public school district and higher education institution must conspicuously post the Ten Commandments in every classroom and library. The law specifies that the posting must be the Protestant King James Version displayed on a 16-inch-by-20-inch poster or framed copy. The Commandments must be provided through private donations; otherwise, schools don’t have to post them.
The hard place is a federal judge’s ruling this week that states that the law is unconstitutional, but only directly applies to six K-12 public schools. The limit exists because of a U.S. Supreme Court decision last year stating that judges cannot issue “universal injunctions” that reach beyond the parties in a case.
In other words, schools and colleges can obey the law and potentially get named in a lawsuit. Or they can disobey the law and, perhaps, face legal consequences for that. Continue reading
