Supreme Court Keeps Mojave Cross Case Alive

WASHINGTON, April 28, 2010— -- A divided Supreme Court ruled today that a lower court failed to conduct an appropriate analysis when it ordered a white cross removed from California's Mojave National Preserve. The cross, first erected by the Veterans of Foreign Wars more than 70 years ago, had become a flashpoint in the ongoing debate about religious symbols on public property.

"The goal of avoiding governmental endorsement [of religion] does not require eradication of all religious symbols in the public realm," Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the 5-4 majority opinion. "A cross by the side of a public highway marking, for instance, the place where a state trooper perished, need not be taken as a statement of governmental support for sectarian beliefs."

Kennedy's language was bold regarding the symbolism of a cross, which, he said, can include non-religious significance.

"A Latin cross is not merely a reaffirmation of Christian beliefs," he wrote. "It is a symbol often used to honor and respect those whose heroic acts, noble contributions and patient striving help secure an honored place in history for this Nation and its people.

"Here, one Latin cross in the desert evokes far more than religion. It evokes thousands of small crosses in foreign fields making the graves of Americans who fell in battles, battles whose tragedies are compounded if the fallen are forgotten."

The legal history of the cross has been tortured and today's ruling does not put the case completely to rest. Kennedy ordered the case back to the lower court for further proceedings.

The ruling dismayed those who believe the cross should come down.

"This court clearly wants the lower court to find a way to maintain this religious symbol in this public park," said Barry Lynn of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. "We are very disappointed."

The cross stood peacefully for years until the Park Service was asked if a Buddhist Shrine could also be built near the cross.

When the Park Service declined the request, Frank Buono, a retired National Park Service employee, expressed his dismay that the government was showing favoritism of one religious symbol over another. He later filed suit in federal district court.