Bladensburg Peace Cross Can Stay, U.S. Supreme Court Rules

BLADENSBURG, MD — The Supreme Court has rejected a challenge from atheists that a 100-year-old cross-shaped memorial to World War I veterans in Bladensburg violates the Establishment Clause of the Constitution, according to a report.

The Associated Press reports that the 40-foot-tall cross will be allowed to stay on public land after the Supreme Court decided that although it is in the shape of the cross, it doesn't violate the First Amendment's stipulation that the government may not favor one religion over others.

The D.C.-based American Humanist Association, made up of atheists and agnostics, were among the challengers. They say the cross should be moved to private property or turned into a non-religious symbol like an obelisk.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan praised the decision.

"This is a great victory after we fought tirelessly to keep the Peace Cross standing in recognition of the valor, endurance, courage, and devotion of our World War I veterans," Hogan said. "Today’s ruling ensures that this memorial—a dignified tribute to those who came before us and made the ultimate sacrifice—will stand tall and proud for the ages."

Defenders have argued that despite its shape, the memorial has secular origins, but the argument drew skepticism from Justices Sonya Sotomayor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Brett Kavanaugh, according to a Capital News Service report.

A federal court ruled in 2015 that the cross was not a religious endorsement and could stay on state-owned land. It sits in a highway median in Prince George's County.

U.S. District Court Judge Deborah K. Chasanow said in the ruling that "there is overwhelming evidence in the record showing that the predominant purpose of the monument was for secular commemoration."

On its website the society wrote in 2014 of the reason for its lawsuit, "When the government erects an exclusively Christian monument on government property, it violates … the Establishment Clause by sending a clear message that Christianity is the preferred religion over all others. When the religious monument is dedicated to fallen soldiers, it sends an even more egregious message that only Christian soldiers are worth memorializing. Non-Christian soldiers such as atheists and humanists are inherently excluded."

The town of Bladensburg website says the Snyder-Farmer Post of the American Legion of Hyattsville built the cross made of cement and marble to remember the 49 men from Prince George's County who died in World War I. Their names are listed on the base of the memorial.

City officials noted Thursday that the memorial is an integral part of the town's Memorial Park, which honors local heroes from past wars. "We are so pleased the Supreme Court ruled in our favor, as this is an important memorial dedicated to honor veterans of World War I from Prince George's County and hope it continues to remind us of the courage, devotion, endurance and valor of our local heroes," leaders said.