The Fight for the Cross Continues

The Mt. Soledad Cross is under scrutiny again!  In a case that began over twenty years ago, the fate of the Mt. Soledad Cross seemingly was resolved in August of 2008, when the U.S. District Court issued a favorable decision for the Cross wherein Judge Larry Alan Burns held that the Cross stands as a symbol of the sacrifice veterans made, and continue to make, fighting for this Nation and therefore the Cross could continue to stand on public land as a National Veterans Memorial.

The fifty-five year old Cross sits atop Mt. Soledad in San Diego and has been involved in continuous litigation regarding its legal status since 1989, even though the Cross has been recognized by Congress as a National Veterans Memorial and is considered a historically significant national memorial.

Unfortunately, the American Civil Liberties Union (“ACLU”) has once again decided to oppose the cross and has asked the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse the District Court’s decision.  The ACLU is asking for a court order requiring the immediate removal of the historic and well known Mt. Soledad Cross.

On March 12, 2009, Advocates for Faith and Freedom filed an amicus brief, “friend of the court” brief, in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to oppose the ACLU.  We have asked the Court to uphold the District Court’s previous decision and to keep the Mt. Soledad Cross standing in San Diego, California.

Advocates filed the brief, along with the American Center for Law and Justice, a non-profit organization based in Washington D.C, which is serving as co-counsel in the case, on behalf of twenty-five members of the 111th U.S. Congress.

The Judges’ resolution of this case will affect the legal landscape governing the countless Veterans Memorials and cemeteries owned and operated by the federal government, as well as the state and local governments.         

This information is provided by Advocates for Faith and Freedom, a non-profit religious law firm dedicated to protecting religious liberty in the courts!  To help us in our ongoing battle for religious freedom, click here to donate to Advocates.