Mount Soledad - History of The Veterans' Memorial

History of The Veterans' Memorial

Mount Soledad is topped by a large concrete Christian cross, first built in 1913, and rebuilt twice. After it was challenged in court during the late 1980s, it was designated a Korean War memorial. It became the center of a controversy, known around the world, over the display of religious symbols on government property. It was ruled unconstitutional in January 2011.

"...we conclude that the Memorial, presently configured and as a whole, primarily conveys a message of government endorsement of religion that violates the Establishment Clause. This result does not mean that the Memorial could not be modified to pass constitutional muster nor does it mean that no cross can be part of this veterans’ memorial. We take no position on those issues.

We reverse the grant of summary judgment to the government and remand for entry of summary judgment in favor of the Jewish War Veterans and for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

REVERSED AND REMANDED


" —Judge McKeown, opinion for the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

On June 25, 2012 the Supreme Court denied certiorari, confirming the order of the 9th court of appeals


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