October Term 2018 · Docket 17-1717

Does a Peace Cross violate the Establishment Clause?

The dispute centers on whether a government-owned Peace Cross memorial violates the constitutional ban on state-sponsored religion.

Official caption: American Legion v. American Humanist Ass.
Latest argument session: 2019-02-27
Latest official Court activity: 2019-02-27
Latest verified event: Argued
Sources analyzed through: Official Transcript

Verified source milestones

2026-08-29 — An official oral-argument transcript was verified.
2026-08-29 — An official oral-argument transcript was verified.

The arguments, in order

This case may have been argued more than once. Each entry below uses that session's official transcript. Later arguments do not erase earlier ones.

Argument 1 · 2019-02-27

What happened at the argument
Neal Katyal argued the cross should not be destroyed. He cited four facts about the memorial. He emphasized the historical context of the monument.
David Carvin argued the cross fits a sensible Establishment Clause analysis. He suggested using the Town of Greece coercion test. He claimed this approach protects religious liberty.
General Wall argued the cross is permissible under Town of Greece. He cited the nation's tradition of accommodating religious speech. He argued this resolves the case easily.
Ms. Miller argued the Establishment Clause prohibits preferring one religion. She focused on the core constitutional principle. She distinguished between endorsement and accommodation.

Read the official transcript for this argument · Official argument details
Sources used for this argument breakdown
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 10, lines 17-26 — Transcript, file page 10, lines 17-26
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 11, lines 18-27 — Transcript, file page 11, lines 18-27
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 11, lines 7-11 — Transcript, file page 11, lines 7-11
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 12, lines 27-30 — Transcript, file page 12, lines 27-30
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 12, lines 32-33 — Transcript, file page 12, lines 32-33
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 18, lines 21-7 — Transcript, file page 18, lines 21-7
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 34, lines 10-20 — Transcript, file page 34, lines 10-20
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 46, lines 12-21 — Transcript, file page 46, lines 12-21
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 21-16 — Transcript, file page 5, lines 21-16
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 8-20 — Transcript, file page 5, lines 8-20
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 17-31 — Transcript, file page 6, lines 17-31
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 13-15 — Transcript, file page 7, lines 13-15
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 17-18 — Transcript, file page 7, lines 17-18
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 23-25 — Transcript, file page 7, lines 23-25
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 70, lines 17-30 — Transcript, file page 70, lines 17-30
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 70, lines 31-36 — Transcript, file page 70, lines 31-36
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 71, lines 34-7 — Transcript, file page 71, lines 34-7
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 71, lines 6-8 — Transcript, file page 71, lines 6-8
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 72, lines 36-8 — Transcript, file page 72, lines 36-8
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 73, lines 18-33 — Transcript, file page 73, lines 18-33
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 74, lines 12-16 — Transcript, file page 74, lines 12-16
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 74, lines 18-22 — Transcript, file page 74, lines 18-22
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 75, lines 17-23 — Transcript, file page 75, lines 17-23
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 75, lines 33-34 — Transcript, file page 75, lines 33-34
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 76, lines 31-6 — Transcript, file page 76, lines 31-6
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 76, lines 6-6 — Transcript, file page 76, lines 6-6
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 77, lines 15-31 — Transcript, file page 77, lines 15-31
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 78, lines 18-18 — Transcript, file page 78, lines 18-18
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 15-21 — Transcript, file page 8, lines 15-21
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 27-36 — Transcript, file page 8, lines 27-36
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 12-20 — Transcript, file page 9, lines 12-20
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 90, lines 8-21 — Transcript, file page 90, lines 8-21

A citizen's guide to the whole case

What this case is about

The American Legion and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission defend the Peace Cross. They argue the symbol honors fallen soldiers and fits within a long civic tradition. The American Humanist Association opposes the memorial. They argue the government cannot display a religious symbol in a public park.