The 7-2 decision gives local officials somewhat more freedom to display religious symbols on public property.
The Supreme Court said Thursday the Constitution did not require tearing down historic monuments just because they featured religious symbols, such as crosses or the Ten Commandments.
Speaking for the court, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. said the Maryland cross could be upheld because it served many purposes. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor dissented. Ginsburg said the cross had a “starkly sectarian message” that violated the 1st Amendment’s ban on “an establishment of religion.”
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