The Supreme Court accepts the case of a Maryland-shaped cross memorial

The case regarding the question of whether a cross-shaped Maryland war monument goes against the separation of church and state was accepted for final examination by the judges of the Supreme Court Friday.

The controversial court, located in Virginia, had previously ruled that the controversial memorial, which is in Bladensburg, Maryland, violated the Constitution. He indeed determined that he "had the main effect of supporting religion and excessively confusing the government with religion".

In asking the country's highest court to take up the case, Maryland officials responsible for the maintenance of the monument, also known as the "Peace Cross," have insisted that what the government has to it is intended to honor proves that its purpose is to convey a secular message of commemoration, and not one of the following. religion.

If the decision of the court of appeal was upheld, it could potentially affect hundreds of similar monuments across the country and force "the removal or dismemberment of a darling war memorial served of solemn commemoration and civic unity for nearly a century, "officials said.

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The cross, completed in 1925, was erected in memory of 49 inhabitants of the region who died during the First World War. A plaque on the base of the cross indicates the names of these soldiers. The two faces of the cross are surrounded by the symbol of the cross. American Legion, the organization of veterans who helped raise funds to build it.

The memorial is located about five miles from the Supreme Court.

Proponents of the statue argued that previous Supreme Court rulings had determined that monuments, especially older ones, incorporating religious symbolism to send a secular message did not violate the Constitution.

The form of the "Cross of Peace", which they say falls into this category, was chosen as a way to look like cross-shaped gravestones used for soldiers buried in American cemeteries abroad, have declared supporters.

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The American Humanist Association, the group against the memorial that, along with three local residents, filed lawsuits against Maryland officials in 2014, claims that the symbol "discriminates against patriotic soldiers who are not Christians, sending a message insensitive to non-Christians that Christians are worthy of worship when they can just as easily be forgotten. "

The organization tried to convince the Supreme Court not to investigate the case, arguing that the decision of the court of appeal was specific to the Bladensburg Memorial and did not threaten any of the others. monuments.

Arguments in favor of the case should be heard in early 2019.

Bill Mears of Fox News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.