WASHINGTON, D.C., June 20, 2019—Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, commends the U.S. Supreme Court’s 7-2 ruling that a 40-foot memorial cross located on public property in Bladensburg, Md., does not violate the Establishment Clause.
“This is a good, common sense decision from the Court to uphold religious freedom and a nearly century-old memorial,” said Moore. “I am thankful the Justices saw through this attempt to amend the Establishment Clause to mean what Madison did not write. As we argued in our brief to the Court, maintaining this memorial cross is hardly an official establishment in law of Christianity. We hope this opinion will lead to clearer, consistent rulings on matters of faith in the public square.”
The case centered on a 93-year-old, memorial cross to the fallen of World War I. The constitutional issue in this case is whether the display of the cross violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The ERLC filed an amicus brief in support of the petitioners alongside a diverse coalition of religious denominations representing more than 55 million Americans. The brief argued for a textualist understanding of the Establishment Clause.
The Bladensburg Peace Cross in Maryland will remain standing based on this ruling.
