Mojave Memorial Cross And War Memorial #1 is a photograph by Mountain Dreams which was uploaded on May 5th, 2015.
Mojave Memorial Cross And War Memorial #1
The Mojave Memorial Cross and War Memorial -- officially the White Cross World War I Memorial near the ghost town of Cima in the Mojave National... more
Title
Mojave Memorial Cross And War Memorial #1
Artist
Mountain Dreams
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
The Mojave Memorial Cross and War Memorial -- officially the "White Cross World War I Memorial" near the ghost town of Cima in the Mojave National Preserve in California has been the subject of vigorous church vs. state debate and litigation.
On November 2, 2012, the Sunrise Rock parcel was conveyed to the California Veterans of Foreign Wars. In accordance with the settlement agreement, the National Park Service installed a fence around the parcel with signs indicating that the plot is private property. Two entrance areas remain unfenced to allow public access, also required by the settlement. The National Park Service installed a plaque on Sunrise Rock describing this memorial commemorating American war veterans.
The original cross was erected in 1934 to honor those killed in war. The cross has been maintained by volunteers and was reconstructed after being destroyed. It was boarded up after lower court rulings declared it illegal because of separation of church and state constitutional concerns.
On April 28, 2010, the US Supreme Court ruled on Salazar v. Buono in a 5-4 decision sent the case back to a lower court. The high court ruled there was no violation of the separation of church and state when Congress transferred the land surrounding the cross to a veterans' group.
Writing for the majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote, "The goal of avoiding governmental endorsement [of religion] does not require eradication of all religious symbols in the public realm".
Uploaded
May 5th, 2015
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