A 93-year-old World War I memorial in the shape of a Latin cross won’t have to come down after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it didn’t run afoul of the Constitution.
A lower federal court previously ruled that the 40-foot cross—now situated on public land—must come down because it has the “primary effect of endorsing religion and excessively entangles the government in religion.”
By a 7-2 vote, the Supreme Court reversed that ruling today in a pair of cases relating to the Maryland memorial.
The decision is the latest in a string of high court cases dealing with the role of religion in a pluralistic society.
The cases are Am. Legion v. Am. Humanist Ass’n, U.S., No. 17-1717, 3/19/19 and Md. Nat’l Capital Park & Planning Comm’n v. Am. Humanist Ass’n, U.S., No. 18-18, 6/20/19.
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