Maryland Governor Wants To Fight Ruling Against Monument

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ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Gov. Larry Hogan has directed Maryland's attorney general to join a legal fight against a ruling by a three-judge panel declaring a 40-foot cross memorializing veterans to be unconstitutional.

Hogan directed Attorney General Brian Frosh on Tuesday to file an amicus brief in support of the parties challenging the ruling, once they file an expected appeal. The ruling this month by a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit says the memorial "excessively entangles the government in religion."

In a letter, Hogan notes that the Peace Cross in Bladensburg is a memorial to 49 Prince George's County residents who died in World War I.

The governor writes that the ruling "offends common sense, is an affront to all veterans, and should not be allowed to stand."

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