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ABSTRACT
This essay examines the case American Legion v. American Humanist Association in which the Supreme Court decided (in a 7–2 decision) that a monument in Bladensburg, Maryland, known as the Peace Cross, does not represent governmental promotion of religion, and therefore is not in violation of the Establishment Clause. The origins of the First Amendment are discussed followed by a discussion of significant Supreme Court precedents, providing a meaningful framework for an understanding of the First Amendment issues at stake in this case. With that background, the major tenets of the Peace Cross case are examined, including majority/concurring and dissenting opinions. Finally, a perspective of this case is situated as contradistinctive to another current artifact, in which the latter engenders an untenable, harmful and violative relationship between the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause.
Acknowledgments
I would like to give my thanks to Sergio Pena who assisted in the herculean task of formatting the essay and providing critically astute feedback.
Notes
1. Harris, “Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom.”
2. Reed, “Memorial and Remonstrance,”; Madison, “Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments,” 1962-7.
3. Annals of Congress, 1st Cong., 1st sess., 451.
4. Library of Congress, “This Day in History – December 15: The Bill of Rights,” https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/december-15/.
5. Carter and others, The First Amendment and the Fourth Estate, 1159.
6. “Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury Baptists,” Library of Congress Information Bulletin 57, no. 6. (1998).
7. Hutson and Jefferson, “Thomas Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury Baptists,” 789-790.
8. American Humanist Association v. Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission, 891 F.3d 117 (4th Cir. 2018).
9. Liptak, “Supreme Court Allows 40-Foot Peace Cross On State Property,” New York Times, June 20, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/20/us/politics/maryland-peace-cross-supreme-court.html.
10. Lupu and Tuttle, “Symposium: Supreme Court Allows 40-Foot Peace Cross on the State Property,” SCOTUS Blog, https//www.scotusblog.com/2019/06/symposium-a-splintered-court-leaves-the-blandensburg-cross-intact.
11. Dupré, Monuments: America’s History in Art and Memory, xiii.
12. Scarre, “How Memorials Speak to Us,”, 12.
13. Ibid.
14. Conkle, Constitutional Law: The Religion Clauses, 175.
15. Lemon v. Kurtzman, 203 U.S. 602, (1971): 612-613.
16. “American Legion. v. American Humanist Association,” 264.
17. See note 8 above.
18. American Legion v. American Humanist Association, No 17-1717, 588 U.S. __ (2019).
19. Lynch v. Donnelly, 465 U.S. 688 (1994).
20. Idid.
21. Ibid.
22. Ibid.
23. Ibid.
24. Ibid.
25. Ibid.
26. Ibid.
27. Ibid.
28. Anglim, Encyclopedia of Religion and the Law in America, 77-78.
29. County of Allegheny v. American Civil Liberties Union, Greater Pittsburgh Chapter, 492 U.S. 573 (1989).
30. See note 20 above.
31. Ibid.
32. Ibid.
33. Ibid.
34. Ibid.
35. Ibid.
36. McCreary Country, Kentucky v. American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, 545 U.S 844 (2004); Van Orden v. Perry, 545 U.S. 677 (2005).
37. Conkle, Constitutional Law: The Religion Clauses, 179.
38. Conkle, Constitutional Law: The Religion Clauses, 179-180.
39. McCreary Country, Kentucky v. American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, 545 U.S 844 (2004).
40. See note 20 above.
41. Van Orden v. Perry, 545 U.S. 677 (2005).
42. See note 20 above.
43. Id.; In Pleasant Grove City v. Summum, Justice Scalia’s concurring opinion references Van Orden v. Perry, reaffirming the latter’s plurality in that the Ten Commandments monuments ““have an undeniable historical meaning” in addition to their “religious significance.”“.
44. American Legion v. American Humanist Assn. No. 17-1717, 588 U.S. ___ (2019).
45. See note 20 above.
46. Ibid.
47. Ibid.
48. Ibid.
49. Ibid.
50. Carter and others, The First Amendment and the Fourth Estate, 529.
51. Ernoznik v. City of Jacksonville, 422 U.S. 205 (1975).
52. See note 44 above.
53. See note 20 above.
54. Ibid.
55. Capitol Square Review and Advisory v. Pinette, 515 U.S. 753 (1994).
56. See note 44 above.
57. See note 20 above .
58. Ibid.
59. Ibid.
60. Ibid.
61. Anglim, Encyclopedia of Religion and the Law in America, 583-584.
62. Pompeo, “Being a Christian Leader,” (speech, Gaylord Opryland Hotel, Nashville, TN, October 11, 2019), https://www.state.gov/being-a-christian-leader.; See Attorney General William Barr’s speech delivered October 11, 2019 to the University of Notre Dame Law School and the de Nicola Center for Ethics, appearing on the United States Department of Justice website under “Justice News,” in which he bemoans the dilution and disappearance of religion from “public square.” https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/attorney-general-william-p-barr-delivers-remarks-law-school-and-de-nicola-center-ethics.
63. Weill, “Atheists, Secular Groups Up in Arms Over State Department Boosting Pompeo’s ‘Christian Leader’ Speech,” Daily Beast, October 16, 2019, https://www.thedailybeast.com/atheists-secular-groups-up-in-arms-over-state-department-boosting-pompeos-christian-leader-speech.
64. Behrmann, “State Department Website Promotes Mike Pompeo Speech on ‘Being a Christian Leader,’” USA Today, October 14, 2019. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/10/14/state-dept-website-promotes-mike-pompeo-speech-critics-decry/3980544002/.
65. Boorstein, “State Department’s First-Ever Employee Faith Group Underscores Mike Pompeo’s Influence, Washington Post, November 1, 2019. https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2019/11/01/highlighting-value-christians-state-departments-first-ever-employees-faith-group-underscores-pompeos-influence/.
66. “American Humanist Ass’n v. Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission,” 1360.
67. American Legion. v. American Humanist Association,” 267.
68. Lemon v. Kurtzman, 203 U.S. 602 (1971).
69. Tedford and Herbeck, Freedom of Speech in the United States, 152.