Supreme Court Ruled Peace Cross Can Still Stand in Maryland

A World War I memorial in the shape of a 40-foot-tall cross will continue to stand on public land in Maryland, the Supreme Court ruled early Thursday morning.

The 7 to 2 ruling in favor of the supporters of the cross, concluded that the nearly 100-year-old memorial’s presence doesn’t violate the First Amendment clause, which prohibits the government from favoring one religion over others.

The case argued that the cross represents a sign of religious symbols in public life. Defenders of the cross argued that a ruling against them could tarnish of the memory of the fallen soldiers.

“The cross is undoubtedly a Christian symbol, but that fact should not blind us to everything else that the Bladensburg Cross has come to represent,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote.

“For some, that monument is a symbolic resting place for ancestors who never returned home. For others, it is a place for the community to gather and honor all veterans and their sacrifices to our Nation. For others still, it is a historical landmark. For many of these people, destroying or defacing the Cross that has stood undisturbed for nearly a century would not be neutral and would not further the ideals of respect and tolerance embodied in the First Amendment. For all these reasons, the Cross does not offend the Constitution,” he wrote.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice Sonia Sotomayor differed.

They rebutted that the cross, in a suburb near the nation’s capital, should be moved to private property or modified into a nonreligious monument that will not be maintained t by tax payer dollars. They feel it is unjust for residents who are atheists and agnostics to continue to pay for the cross.

Maryland officials had argued that the cross, sometimes called the “Peace Cross” doesn’t violate the Constitution because it has a secular purpose and meaning.

For those who believe in the strict separation of church and state, Thursday’s result is a disappointment. The 40-foot cross, “secular” symbol will continue to stand at the corner of Bladensburg Road and Baltimore Avenue.