The Bladensburg Cross
Recently, the Supreme Court ruled on the case of American Legion v. American Humanist Association. At issue was whether a 40-foot cross on public land violated the the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. The cross was erected on private land in 1925, whose purpose was to honor the war dead from Prince Georges’s County, Md., who died in the Great War. Subsequently, the land where the cross was erected became public land, and is located on a small patch of it, near a three-way junction in Bladensburg , Md. The ruling was (7-2) in favor of the American Legion. The court was narrow in it’s opinion in that no, you cant’t tear down a monument because it has religious significance to some people but- on the other hand it did not rule whether a new cross could be erected on public land, without violating the Establishment Clause.
An interesting opinion piece from the Wall Street Journal explores the recent litigation history both in defense of religious liberties and from those who wish to curtail it. The author interviewed Professor David Skeel who is on the faculty of the law school at The University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Skeel is also an evangelical Christian.
Thanks to Bill Mehaffey for the article.