Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Petitioner
Neal Kumar Katyal, Counsel of Record
The Peace Cross in Bladensburg, Maryland, was erected by the American Legion as a World War I memorial in 1925, six years after the city set out to construct a “Calvary Cross” on prominent land in the city but was unable to secure enough funding. Written on the 40-foot-tall stone cross were the names of 49 area servicemen who had died in the war, as well as the words “valor,” “endurance,” “courage,” and “devotion.” Over the ensuing years, the cross became the site for a variety of patriotic events and veterans’ memorial ceremonies. Other memorials have been added in the…
