American Legion v. American Humanist Association
The Court Says a Cross-Shaped War Memorial on Public Land Is Constitutional
American Legion v. American Humanist Association (AHA) was featured in Religious Symbols on Public Lands, Supreme Court Debates (Apr. 2019). The following is excerpted from the 7-to-2 majority opinion written by Justice Alito, as prepared by the Court Reporter of Decisions. At least four considerations show that retaining established, religiously expressive monuments, symbols, and practices is quite different from erecting or adopting new ones. First, these cases often concern monuments, symbols, or practices that were first established long ago, and thus, identifying their original purpose or purposes may be especially difficult. Second, as time goes by, the purposes associated with…
