U.S. judge orders landmark California cross taken down
Dec 13, 2013 9:01:12 GMT -5
Post by popcorn on Dec 13, 2013 9:01:12 GMT -5
U.S. judge orders landmark California cross taken down from war memorial
A massive cross that serves as part of a war memorial on a San Diego hilltop must be dismantled because it has been found to violate a constitutional ban on government endorsement of religion, a federal judge grudgingly ruled on Thursday. The decision by U.S. District Judge Larry Burns marks the latest development in a long-running legal battle over the 43-foot-tall cross, a local landmark that has stood on top of Mount Soledad since 1954 and is visible for miles. Burns stayed his order to give the Obama administration and the association that erected the cross, which have fought its removal all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, a chance to file another appeal.
Otherwise, he said, the monument must be taken down within 90 days. “This is a victory for religious liberty,” said Daniel Mach, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s program on freedom of religion and belief who argued the matter for the plaintiffs in a hearing before Burns on Thursday. “We firmly support the government’s efforts to honor the service of those who fought and died for this country, but there are many ways to do that without playing favorites with religion,” Mach said. The case hinged on whether it is legal for a religious symbol to be prominently displayed on public land and whether the cross violated the U.S. Constitution’s requirement on separation of church and state. The Mount Soledad cross has been the subject of litigation since 1989, when two veterans sued San Diego to get it off city land. In 2006, Congress intervened in the dispute, resulting in the federal government taking ownership of the property
read more:
www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/13/us-usa-california-cross-idUSBRE9BC02Q20131213?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews
A massive cross that serves as part of a war memorial on a San Diego hilltop must be dismantled because it has been found to violate a constitutional ban on government endorsement of religion, a federal judge grudgingly ruled on Thursday. The decision by U.S. District Judge Larry Burns marks the latest development in a long-running legal battle over the 43-foot-tall cross, a local landmark that has stood on top of Mount Soledad since 1954 and is visible for miles. Burns stayed his order to give the Obama administration and the association that erected the cross, which have fought its removal all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, a chance to file another appeal.
Otherwise, he said, the monument must be taken down within 90 days. “This is a victory for religious liberty,” said Daniel Mach, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s program on freedom of religion and belief who argued the matter for the plaintiffs in a hearing before Burns on Thursday. “We firmly support the government’s efforts to honor the service of those who fought and died for this country, but there are many ways to do that without playing favorites with religion,” Mach said. The case hinged on whether it is legal for a religious symbol to be prominently displayed on public land and whether the cross violated the U.S. Constitution’s requirement on separation of church and state. The Mount Soledad cross has been the subject of litigation since 1989, when two veterans sued San Diego to get it off city land. In 2006, Congress intervened in the dispute, resulting in the federal government taking ownership of the property
read more:
www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/13/us-usa-california-cross-idUSBRE9BC02Q20131213?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews