Another Court Loss For The Mojave Cross
By Ryan Orr
James Edwards Comments
PASADENA — An opinion from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a ruling that prohibits leaving the eight-foot tall Mojave Cross atop a rock in the Mojave National Preserve, where it has been for 70 years.
First erected by World War I veterans, the Mojave Cross has been designated as a national memorial by Congress and has been strongly supported by the American Legion at its national convention.
The recently released opinion upholds prior rulings that deems the cross unconstitutional — a religious artifact on public land.
Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands, sponsored a land exchange bill that would have given the land where the cross is located to Veterans of Foreign Wars, so that the cross could remain.
The recent ruling says that a lower court did not abuse its discretion in stopping the government from proceeding with the land exchange.
Lewis plans on urging the Department of Interior and Department of Justice to take the issue all the way to the Supreme Court.
Five judges from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals dissented from the decision and believed the ruling should be reversed.
“The congressman is very encouraged by the dissents, and he feels they lay out very well what he’s always believed, that this was never a religious artifact, it is simply a memorial to honor veterans,” said Jim Specht, spokesman for Lewis….
Media Report
