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Page Number: 74.0

8 

AMERICAN LEGION  v. AMERICAN HUMANIST ASSN. 

GINSBURG,  J., dissenting 

anity around the world should not loom over public thor-
oughfares, suggesting official recognition of that religion’s 
paramountcy. 

B 
  The Commission urges in defense of its monument that 
the Latin cross “is not merely a reaffirmation of Christian 
beliefs”; rather, “when used in the context of a war memo-
rial,” the cross becomes “a universal symbol of the sacrifices 
of  those  who  fought  and  died.”    Brief  for  Petitioner 
Maryland-National  Capital  Park  and Planning Commis-
sion  34–35  (Brief  for  Planning  Commission)  (internal 
quotation marks omitted).  See also Brief for United States 
as  Amicus  Curiae  25  (The  Latin  cross  is  “a  Christian 
symbol  . . .  [b]ut  it  is  also  ‘a  symbol often used to honor 
and  respect [soldiers’] heroic acts.’ ” (quoting Buono, 559 
U. S., at 721 (plurality opinion); some internal quotation 
marks omitted)). 
  The  Commission’s  “[a]ttempts  to  secularize  what  is 
unquestionably  a  sacred  [symbol]  defy  credibility  and 
disserve  people  of  faith.”   Van  Orden,  545  U. S.,  at  717 
(Stevens, J., dissenting).  See, e.g., Brief for Amici Chris-
tian  and  Jewish  Organizations  7  (“For  Christians  who 
think  seriously  about  the  events  and  message  that  the 
cross  represents,  [the  Commission’s]  claims  are  deeply 
offensive.”).  The asserted commemorative meaning of the 
cross  rests  on—and  is  inseparable  from—its  Christian 
meaning: “the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the redeem-
ing  benefits  of  his  passion  and  death,” specifically, “the 
salvation  of  man.”    American  Civil  Liberties  Union  of 
Illinois  v.  St.  Charles,  794  F. 2d  265,  273  (CA7  1986) 
(internal quotation marks omitted). 
  Because of its sacred meaning, the Latin cross has been 
used  to  mark  Christian  deaths  since at least the fourth 
century.    See  Jensen,  supra,  at  68–69.    The  cross  on  a 
grave  “says  that  a  Christian  is  buried  here,”  Brief  for