Religious Displays in a National Preserve
The Establishment Clause and the Sunrise Rock Cross
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In 1934, a chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) erected a wooden cross as a memorial to war dead on Federal land in the Mojave Desert of southeastern California. Since then, the site on Sunrise Rock has been used for various religious services and military commemorations. The cross has been replaced several times. Its current version — roughly eight feet tall and made of metal pipes painted white — was installed by Henry Sandoz in 1998.
Now, this bare-bones display in the middle of sparsely populated desert has become the center of legal controversies over government endorsement of religion, …
In This Issue
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Foreword: Religious Displays in a National Preserve
The Establishment Clause and the Sunrise Rock Cross
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Legal Standing Under the Establishment Clause
The Salazar v. Buono Lawsuit
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Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals' Holding
The Federal Government Must Remove the Cross From Sunrise Rock
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Before the Court
The Justices Hear Oral Arguments in Salazar v. Buono
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Pro & Con
Does the Cross on Sunrise Rock in the Mojave National Preserve Violate the Separation of Church and State?
Pro
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Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Anti-Defamation League, Jewish Council for Public Affairs, et al.
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Colonel David Antoon, Brigadier General Israel Drazin, et al.
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The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and the Interfaith Alliance
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Frank Buono
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Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility and the Western Lands Project
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The American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council and the Muslim American Veterans Association
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Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America, Inc.
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The Center for Inquiry
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American Jewish Congressand American Jewish Committee
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Freedom From Religion Foundation
Con
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Indiana, Alabama, Alaska, et al.
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Thomas More Law Center, Individual Rights Foundation, et al.
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Foundation for Moral Law
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The Christian Legal Society and the National Association of Evangelicals
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The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty
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Eagle Forum Education & Legal Defense Fund
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The National Legal Foundation
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Liberty Counsel
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The American Civil Rights Union
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Ken L. Salazar, et al.
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Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) of the United States, et al.
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International Municipal Lawyers Association
