WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday grappled with a major establishment clause dispute over a Latin cross that has stood for more than 70 years as a war memorial on federal land in the Mojave Desert of California. Justices seemed to be seeking a narrow way to decide the case, often getting bogged down in procedural matters, but there were also moments of drama.
At one point late in the arguments in Salazar v. Buono , American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Peter Eliasberg, in challenging the placement of the cross on public land, suggested the cross honored “just Christians.” Justice Antonin Scalia, who is Catholic, angrily interjected, “The cross doesn’t honor non-Christians who fought in the war?” He added, “I assume it is erected in honor of all of the war dead. The cross is the most common symbol of the resting place of the dead.”
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law are third party online distributors of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law customers are able to access and use ALM's content, including content from the National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Legaltech News, The New York Law Journal, and Corporate Counsel, as well as other sources of legal information.
For questions call 1-877-256-2472 or contact us at [email protected]
