Supreme Court will consider legal fight over 8-foot cross in Mojave Desert

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court is taking on a long-running legal fight today over an 8-foot cross that stands as a war memorial in the vast Mojave National Preserve in California.

By: Associated Press | WNCT-On Your Side
Published: October 07, 2009

» Comments | Post a Comment

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court is taking on a long-running legal fight today over an 8-foot cross that stands as a war memorial in the vast Mojave National Preserve in California.
The justices will consider throwing out an appeals court ruling that ordered that the cross be torn down.
The American Civil Liberties Union and a former National Park Service employee have been challenging the cross' continued presence on national parkland for nearly eight years. A cross has stood on the site since 1934, when a local chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars erected one atop an outcropping known as Sunrise Rock. The cross has been replaced several times. The cross currently has wooden boards covering it.
Congress sought to transfer ownership of the monument but was blocked by an appeals court.
Liberty Legal counsel Kelly Shackelford says the case has national implications. He says if the court upholds the ban, other monuments with religious themes could be ordered removed.

Reader Comments

*Facebook Account Required to Comment. If you are not already logged into Facebook, please click the comment button to do so.

Deal of the Day

Interactive Radar

Caught On Camera

Hundreds of Marilyn Monroe look-a-likes gather to break world record

A bear and moose take the path less traveled and hundreds of Marilyn Monroe look-a-likes try to break a record. The latest video and stories that will have you talking are coming up now in Take a Look At This!