Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Cal. Cross Case; Lower Court Ruling Cross as Unconst. Holds

The Huffington Post website reports that the U.S. Supreme Court today (June 25, 2012) refused to hear an appeal of a lower court ruling that deemed the Mount Soledad cross -- overlooking the Pacific Ocean in San Diego -- as unconstitutional by mixing of government and religion.

The 29-foot war memorial cross sits on a 14-foot base, surrounded by walls that display more than 2,100 plaques commemorating individual veterans and veterans' groups.

Last year's ruling by the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals -- which deemed the cross unconstitutional -- capped two decades of legal challenges over the 1950s cross that became a memorial to Korean War veterans.

A number of military memorials on public lands across the United States have been challenged in recent years by civil liberty activists and atheists, who claim they violate the separation between church and state.