Supreme Court declares “peace cross” a non-religious symbol

An interesting test of the current Supreme Court’s views on religious freedoms occured when the court declared on Thursday that a “peace cross” monument located on public land and dating back to World War I does not constitute a government establishment of religion, as prohibited by the First Amendment.

The 7-2 ruling stated that the cross can have both secular and religious meanings, and that the government cannot presume to know the intentions of the monument’s builders.

However, the decision was highly fractious when it came to reasonings, with seven of the nine justices filing individual opinions.

Justices Alito, Brayer, Gorsuch, Kagan, Kavanaugh, Roberts, and Thomas formed the majority opinion. Ginsberg and Sotomayor dissented.

The Peace Cross in question is located in Bladensburg, Maryland, and was built in 1925 in honor of Prince George’s County’s fallen soldiers.

The land and monument came into state possession in 1961, and the state has spent over $117,000 in upkeep since acquiring the Peace Cross.

The lawsuit to remove the cross was brought by the American Humanist Association representing various area residents.