Federal District Court Hearing To Decide If Veterans Association Will Remain A Party In Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial Cross Case

Liberty Institute Defends Against ACLU's Attempt to Remove Veterans from Case

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This week, the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial Association (MSMA), which erected the 29-ft-high Mt. Soledad cross to honor Korean War Veterans in 1954, will participate in a mandatory hearing to confirm its continued participation as a party in the high-profile case, Steve Trunk, et al v. City of San Diego, et al., that, many believe, is the most important religious freedom case of the decade.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120523/DC12743LOGO-b)

WHO:  Liberty Institute's General Counsel Jeff Mateer on behalf of the MSMA will attend the court hearing and will be available for comment. Representatives are also expected to attend from the U.S. Department of Justice, also a defendant in the case, and the ACLU, which sued the MSMA in 2006 claiming the memorial's cross violates the Establishment Clause.

WHEN:  Friday, Oct. 19 at 10 a.m. PT

WHERE: 880 Front Street #4290, San Diego, CA 92101

DETAILS: In June, the U.S. Supreme Court denied review of the the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial Cross case "at this time." During a hearing in July, the ACLU called into question the MSMA's future role in the case, after it was disclosed that the U.S. Department of Justice and the ACLU were engaging in settlement discussions without the MSMA's participation. Afterward, the Court requested that the MSMA file a motion to confirm its status as a party or seek intervention.

For more than a half century, the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial Cross has stood as a symbol of the selfless sacrifice and service of our nation's veterans. The memorial cross is surrounded by six concentric walls with the photos, names and diverse religious symbols of members of our military who have honorably served their country.

The Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial is just one of many veterans memorials across the country under assault by the ACLU, atheist groups and their supporters. In 2009, Liberty Institute successfully represented the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) of the United States, The American Legion, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, VFW Department of California, American Ex-Prisoners of War, VFW Post 385, and retired Lt. Col. Allen R. Miliefsky, United States Air Force as amici at the Supreme Court to help save the Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial Cross, a World War I memorial in the Mojave National Preserve in California.

About Liberty Institute

Liberty Institute is a nonprofit legal group dedicated to defending and restoring religious liberty across America — in our schools, for our churches and throughout the public arena. Liberty's vision is to reestablish religious liberty in accordance with the principles of our nation's Founders. For information, visit www.LibertyInstitute.org.

SOURCE Liberty Institute