The U.S. Supreme Court will hear an appeal from defenders of the Peace Cross, which stands in Bladensburg, Md.
In 2014, the court in a 5-4 decision upheld a city council’s practice of beginning its monthly meetings with a Christian prayer delivered by a local cleric. The five justices in the majority, all Catholics, said this “comports with our tradition and does not coerce participation by non-adherents.” But three weeks later, the court by a 5-4 vote rejected the claim that President Trump’s travel ban reflected “hostility” toward Muslims.
About five years ago, three local residents said they objected to seeing the cross towering over the intersection when they drove by, and they joined a lawsuit with the American Humanist Assn. They said they did not want the monument to be torn down, but instead moved to private property. They lost before a federal judge, but won a 2-1 ruling from the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.
In past decades, the justices have been closely split when faced with disputes over religious symbols on public property. In the 1980s, for example, they upheld a city’s display of a Nativity scene during the Christmas season when it also included Santa Claus, reindeer and a colorful tree, but not if it stood alone in a government building. Both rulings were by 5-4 votes.
It better be
Get rid of it!!
What a waste of time, money, resources. Are these really the big things? Good golly
Well as long as Roberts doesn’t go along with the exstreme lefts point of view instead of following the Constitution of freedom of religion we should be good.
Mt Soledad reboot...
What's next changing all the crosses in Normandy? Its been there a hundred years and no issues. Get over yourselves. Next war? Don't put religious symbols then.
How can an agreed upon religious symbol memorialize people who did not believe in or agree with that symbol. It's as insulting as Mormons 'saving' dead people by declaring them Mormons in the afterlife. Magical Thinking is Magical Thinking is MAGICAL THINKING.