Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) Attends Oral Arguments of Supreme Court Religious Liberty Case

Press Release

U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) attended today's oral arguments at the Supreme Court regarding the constitutionality of the Bladensburg Peace Cross, a 100-year-old World War I memorial in Prince George's County, Md. This Supreme Court case, American Legion v. American Humanist Association, will determine if the cross-shaped memorial can legally sit on public property. The memorial honors 49 local men who fought and died in World War I.

In August, Sen. Kennedy joined a group of 109 members of Congress in submitting an amicus brief to the Supreme Court that defended the existence of the memorial.

"This memorial is not an infringement of freedom of religion. It is a symbolic monument to those who fought in World War I," said Sen. Kennedy. "The First Amendment forbids the establishment of a national religion, but it also discourages hostility towards a particular religion. Bulldozing memorials seems pretty hostile to me. If the Supreme Court allows this memorial to be removed, then we risk setting a precedent of destroying every memorial, monument, building or tombstone on public property that references religious or Christian beliefs, and that would be just be plain wrong."

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