WASHINGTON (AP) — A World War I memorial that's in the shape of a cross is at the center of a case at the Supreme Court.
The high court on Wednesday is hearing arguments about whether the 40-foot-tall cross on public land in Maryland is constitutional. Its defenders say the case could impact hundreds of monuments nationwide.
The American Legion is one of the cross' defenders. The veterans' organization raised money for the cross and completed it in 1925.
Maryland officials are also defending the cross. They oversee the cross' location and argue that it doesn't violate the Constitution because it has a secular purpose and meaning.
The cross' challengers argue that its location on public land violates the First Amendment's establishment clause, which prohibits the government from favoring one religion over others.