The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a church-state case that could have a dramatic impact on religious-themed monuments and war memorial crosses across the country.
The case involves a 93-year-old cross-shaped World War I memorial in Bladensburg, Md., that was erected in 1925 but has been targeted in the courts by the American Humanist Association, which claims it violates the U.S. Constitution’s prohibition on government established religion.
A U.S. district judge upheld the memorial as constitutional, but the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this year ruled the nearly 100-year-old cross must be removed.
It will be the first major church-state case heard by the Supreme Court with new Justice Brett Kavanaugh on the bench and could bring clarity to the legal landscape.
The case is “The American Legion et al. v. American Humanist Association et al.” The legal group First Liberty Institute is representing The American Legion, which helped erect the cross.
“There are some who want to erase the memory of the service and sacrifice of these 49 fallen servicemen of Prince George’s County,” said Kelly Shackelford, president and CEO of First Liberty. “If this monument is bulldozed to the ground, it’s only a matter of time before the wrecking ball turns on Arlington National Cemetery and the thousands of memorials like this one…
… Read More
Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.