Lawyers Claim Precedent-Setting Victory After Atheists Lose Battle to Remove Towering Military Memorial Cross

Theblaze.com reports: A conservative legal firm is claiming a precedent-setting victory after a federal appeals court ruled that a cross-shaped World War I memorial is constitutional and can remain in its current location. Atheists sued last year to seek removal of the Bladensburg World War I Veterans Memorial from inside of a public park in Bladensburg, Maryland, claiming that its presence violated the U.S. Constitution and excluded non-Christian military veterans... The Liberty Institute was joined by law firm Jones Day in defending the American Legion against atheist plaintiffs, with the firms securing a summary judgment on Monday from the United States District Court for the District of Maryland that deems the memorial constitutional. “This victory sets an important precedent,” Liberty Institute president Kelly Shackelford said in a statement. “It not only affirms the Bladensburg Memorial will remain in its place of honor but helps ensure that all the nation’s veterans memorials, and the veterans they honor, will be protected.” As TheBlaze previously reported, atheist activists have been seeking the cross’ removal from public land over the past few years. Among those leading the charge has been Fred Edwords, national director of United Coalition of Reason, an atheist nonprofit, who believes that the cross poses a constitutional violation...