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CHARLESTON -- West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is working to protect a historic cross honoring World War I veterans in a potentially landmark case set for oral arguments today before the U.S. Supreme Court.
West Virginia leads a 29-state coalition hoping to protect veterans memorials that include religious symbolism -- an acknowledgment the case at hand involves more than the one cross, but instead much broader implications for the First Amendment, Morrisey said.
"This week's case has the makings of a landmark decision in the fight for religious liberty and freedom," Morrisey said. "In protecting such memorials, we honor the sacrifice of our brave servicemen and women and defend the very freedom they fought to uphold."
The coalition's brief, filed in late December, urges the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court's ruling that a nearly century-old memorial cross in Bladensburg, Md., violates the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
Today's argument stems from a lawsuit that seeks to force the state of Maryland to tear down the cross. Its construction was started by the community and mothers whose sons died in World War I and was finished by the American Legion.
The Supreme Court's ultimate decision could impact memorials across the nation, including those at Arlington National Cemetery and the West Virginia State Capitol, Morrisey said.
West Virginia led the brief with support from Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.