Veterans Group Petitions U.S. Supreme Court To Once And For All Settle Constitutionality Of The Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial Cross

SAN DIEGO, March 4, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the Mt. Soledad Memorial Association (MSMA), represented by Liberty Institute and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP, files a petition asking the United States Supreme Court to save the historic 29-foot-tall Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial Cross in San Diego, CA from being torn down.  To view the petition online, follow this link: http://www.libertyinstitute.org/document.doc?id=133

The MSMA's petition for the U.S. Supreme Court to grant review of the case, Mt. Soledad Memorial Association v. Steve Trunk, et al., follows a district court's order in December requiring the removal of the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial Cross.  Erected in 1954, the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial is the nation's oldest Korean War Veterans Memorial. It contains over 3,300 plaques honoring individual veterans' selfless sacrifice and service.  

"Due to the unique circumstances and the gravity of the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial case, we wanted to give the Supreme Court an opportunity to take the case now if they choose—since they will be deciding it eventually," said Liberty Institute President and CEO Kelly Shackelford. We are hopeful that, once and for all, the Court will settle this question of the constitutionality of the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial, as the fate of hundreds of other similar veterans memorials hang in the balance."

Bruce Bailey, MSMA President and CEO, said, "The Association is eager to have this case reviewed by the highest court in the land. We built this Korean War veterans memorial with support from The American Legion close to 60 years ago to honor the selfless sacrifice and service of the thousands of veterans who fought for the freedoms we, Americans, enjoy today. The sacrifice of these great men and women must not be in vain. We will continue to depend on the steady hand of leadership of our attorneys and the court system, and I am confident we will ultimately prevail."

Liberty Institute is a nonprofit legal group dedicated to defending and restoring religious liberty across America — in our schools, for our churches, in the military and throughout the public arena. Liberty's vision is to reestablish religious liberty in accordance with the principles of our nation's Founders. For information, visit www.LibertyInstitute.org.

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SOURCE Liberty Institute