Viewfinder: The 40-Foot Cross at the Heart of a Supreme Court Case Over Separation of Church and State

Author:: Pacific Standard Staff
Publish date:: Mar 1, 2019

A 40-foot cross that honors 49 fallen World War I soldiers from Prince George's County, Maryland, stands at the busy intersection of Bladensberg and Annapolis roads and Baltimore Avenue on February 28th, 2019, in Bladensburg, Maryland. The cross is at the heart of a Supreme Court case argued by justices this week about whether the symbol runs afoul of the First Amendment's ban on government establishment of religion by sending a message of favoritism to Christianity.
(Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Viewfinder is Pacific Standard's daily photo feature, showcasing one image from the news.

Protesters attend a rally held by the group Our Children's Trust on October 29th, 2018, outside the United States Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.

Ashley Schuck of Nevada places a medal from Saturday's Vegas Strong 5k on a cross set up for shooting victim Neysa Tonks on October 1st, 2018, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Retired carpenter Greg Zanis, who installed 58 crosses last year—one for each person killed—set up the memorial again with new crosses for the massacre's anniversary. On October 1st, 2017, Stephen Paddock opened fire on the Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival, killing 58 people and injuring more than 800 in the deadliest mass shooting event in modern United States history.

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Retired carpenter Greg Zanis, who installed 58 crosses last year—one for each person killed—set up the memorial again with new crosses for the massacre's anniversary.

From the Archives

The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the Bladensburg Cross, a World War I monument, has effectively become secular.

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Worshipers attend Sunday service in the parking lot of Hiland Park Baptist Church on October 14th, 2018, in Panama City, Florida. The church building was damaged by Hurricane Michael.

People cross through the low waters of the Táchira River near the Simón Bolívar international bridge, which connects Cúcuta, Colombia, with the Venezuelan town of San Antonio del Táchira, after the closure of the border bridge on February 27th, 2019, in Cúcuta, Colombia. Many people are making the trek through the river from Venezuela to get supplies or to escape the conditions in their country.

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People cross through the low waters of the Táchira River after the closure of a border bridge on February 27th, 2019, in Cúcuta, Colombia.

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Protesters organized by the Fraternal Order of Police call for the removal of Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx on April 1st, 2019, in Chicago, Illinois.

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