Press Releases

Civil Rights Groups Warn Arkansas School Districts Not to Implement Ten Commandments Law After Federal Court Ruling 

Today, four civil rights organizations sent a letter to public school superintendents across Arkansas, warning school districts not to implement Act 573.

Court Blocks Arkansas Law Requiring Ten Commandments in Every Public School Classroom and Library

In a victory for religious freedom and church-state separation, a federal district court issued a preliminary injunction today in Stinson v. Fayetteville School District No. 1.

Arkansas Jailhouse Litigator Fights Back After Retaliatory Transfer Cuts Off Access to Courts

Officials sent Abdul Maalik Muhammad to a dangerous federal prison to shut down his legal advocacy, lawsuit claims.

ACLU of Arkansas Statement on Supreme Court Decision in United States v. Skrmetti 

This morning, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Skrmetti, allowing Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth to remain in effect.

Arkansas Families Sue to Block Law Mandating Ten Commandments in Public-School Classrooms and Libraries

A multifaith group of seven Arkansas families with children in public schools filed suit in federal court today to block a new state law requiring all public elementary and secondary schools to “prominently” display the Ten Commandments in every classroom and library.

ACLU of Arkansas and ACLU Urge Court to Protect Voting Rights Enforcement

Today, the ACLU of Arkansas and the ACLU filed an amicus brief on behalf of the Arkansas State Conference NAACP and the Arkansas Public Policy Panel in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, calling on the full court to rehear a case that threatens to eviscerate the Voting Rights Act.

Grassroots Groups Move to Intervene in Ballot Measure Case to Defend First Amendment Rights

Two Arkansas grassroots groups moved to intervene today in an ongoing lawsuit to defend the First Amendment rights of Arkansans who use the ballot initiative process to organize, speak out, and propose new laws. 
Issue Areas: Free Speech

ACLU of Arkansas Files Lawsuit Challenging Retaliatory Firing of Library Director Patty Hector

Today, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Arkansas filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Patty Hector, the former director of the Saline County Library, against Saline County Judge Matthew Brumley and Saline County.
Issue Areas: Free Speech

Federal Court Strikes Down Unconstitutional Provisions of Arkansas’s Censorship Law

Today, in a resounding victory for free speech and intellectual freedom, a federal district court struck down key provisions of Arkansas’s censorship law, Act 372, as unconstitutional.