Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter has publicly applauded the United States Supreme Court decision that will allow a World War I memorial cross to remain on public land in Maryland.
In the 7-2 ruling, justices concluded that the position of the memorial on a highway median doesn’t violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment or the constitutional prohibition on the government favoring one religion over others.
“I applaud the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the monument to stand,” Attorney General Hunter said. “The memorial cross is an expression of faith and reverence to war heroes in a community, who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
This is much like a situation we faced recently with the campus chapel at East Central University in Ada, where radicals made preposterous demands that have no legal support.
Thankfully, the Supreme Court refused to give in to these demands. Similarly, my office will never hesitate to stand up for a correct understanding of the First Amendment, and for religious liberties, which are among the most important values to Oklahomans.”
The case began in 2014, when the American Humanist Association, an atheist legal organization, filed a lawsuit attempting to force the state of Maryland to take down the 40-foot cross. The cross was originally built nearly a century ago by the American Legion and community members to commemorate the 49 individuals from the area who died in World War I.
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