Hundreds of crosses at war memorials across the nation are at risk because a panel from the Fourth U.S. Court of Appeals condemned the Bladensburg World War I Veterans Memorial to destruction and the full court refused to reconsider, contends one of the judges. The warning came from Fourth Circuit Judge Paul Niemeyer. The legal team defending the memorial said it will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Niemeyer’s opinion was blunt. “The holding not only violates [precedent], it also needlessly
puts at risk hundreds of monuments with similar symbols standing on public grounds across the country, such as those in nearby Arlington National Cemetery,” he said. “Because this ruling has such far-reaching and unnecessary consequences, it should be reheard by our court en banc, and I dissent from the vote not to do so.” The non-profit legal group First Liberty has been fighting the lawsuit filed by atheists who contend the presence of the cross on government property — the land was private when the memorial was built — violates the First Amendment. READ MORE
