Heather Curtis
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON (WMAL) – Maryland’s governor is lashing out against an appeals court ruling that found its unconstitutional for Bladensburg to have a 40-foot tall cross honoring men who died in World War I on public land.
“This is outrageous,” Gov. Larry Hogan wrote in a Facebook post Friday referring to the ruling made Wednesday by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit.
He vowed that his administration would fight the ruling, which he called unacceptable overreach.
“Enough is enough,” Hogan said.
The law firm representing the veterans at the American Legion, the First Liberty Institute, will also fight the ruling according to the firm’s president Kelly Shackelford.
The governor said as a native of Prince George’s County he has passed the memorial thousands of times and views it as an “incredible tribute” to Marylanders who made the ultimate sacrifice for America’s freedom.
The court found the cross violates the Constitutional right to a separation of church and state and causes an excessive entanglement between government and religion because thousands of dollars in public money have been spent maintaining it.
The legal director for the American Humanist Association, which brought the lawsuit, said the cross sends a message that Bladensburg endorses Christianity.
The appeals court instructed the District Court in Baltimore to decide the cross’s fate.
Copyright 2017 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (Photo: Town of Bladensburg )
