Jack McGrory, Tom Sudberry, Richard Woltman, Doug Manchester, Doug Barnhart, former Gov. Pete Wilson and Peter Farrell.
By Ashley Mackin
Since the Mt. Soledad Memorial Association bought the government land on which the controversial cross sits above the National Veterans Memorial in July 2015, the two-decades-long legal battle over its constitutionality ended last month when the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals determined the case is now moot.
Since 1989, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and others have argued that the cross should be removed from government-owned property because it represents one religion over others. Counter-arguing that the cross is a neutral symbol for memorials, the Mt. Soledad Memorial Association maintained that veterans from several religious backgrounds are represented in the now 4,400 plaques on the surround-wall beneath the cross.