Mt. Soledad Cross

The Ninth Circuit (the federal Court of Appeals that covers California) has told the District Court to vacate (withdraw) its order requiring removal of the large cross on Mt. Soledad in La Jolla.

On May 3, 2006, Judge Gordon Thompson, Jr., moved to enforce an order he initially made in 1991, telling the city that the cross violated the state constitution's ban on government aid and preference for religion, and to remove it or face a fine of $5,000 per day. In August, Congress passed a bill allowing the federal government to take control of the land. That rendered Judge Thompson's order moot, since the land no longer fell under the authority of the California constitution, triggering the 9th Circuit's decision.

Two more lawsuits, of course, are in the wings, challenging the federal government's allowing the cross to remain on federal land.

That we spend so much time on issues like this confirms my view that our freedom-of-religion jurisprudence is wacky. It's a majority (and historically) Christian country. You don't have to like it, but it is. Get over it.