Judge Orders Removal Of 43-Foot Cross From San Diego Memorial

The cross must be removed within 90 days, but representatives for the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial said it will appeal the ruling.

A U.S. district court ruled Thursday a cross displayed at a federal war memorial on Mt. Soledad in San Diego must be removed.

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The cross must be removed in 90 days, but representatives for the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial said it plans to appeal the ruling.

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The group said in a blog post:

"The Association does not view the cross as a religious symbol but rather as an international symbol of sacrifice. It was erected in 1954 to honor the sacrifices of veterans who served during the Korean War."

The cross has been the subject of legal battles for two decades. In 2006, the ACLU filed a suit over the cross in the federal court in the Southern District of California.

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The ACLU defended their lawsuit in a blog post:

"The ACLU is a strong defender of the right of religious organizations and individuals to express their religious beliefs in public. The ACLU is opposed, however, to the government sponsoring, endorsing, promoting, or financing religious symbols. "

A cross was first erected on Mt. Soledad in 1913. The current cross, which is 43 feet tall, was erected in 1954.

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