A Los Angeles federal judge ruled out L.A County's decision on putting a cross on its county seal. The judge sees the move as a clear violation of the constitution.
The change on the county's seal was permanently stopped by Judge Christina A. Snyder. She said that adding the cross on the seal would make the County's power and prestige under one specific single religion and that is Christianity as per Fox News.
The original seal that was created in 1957 had a cross that is floating above the Hollywood Bowl. In 2004, the cross was then removed after it was redesigned following the threat of legal action from the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California.
Supervisors Michael Antonovich and Don Knabe said the cross should be added in order to make the depiction more accurate. The motion passed a 3-2 vote in 2014. But the ACLU and other members of the clergy from other faith institutions filed a case against it.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the executive director of ACLU of Southern California, Hector Villarga, together with Linda M. Burrow applauded the court's ruling, saying it only shows that it recognizes that Los Angeles is a diverse county which are made up of members of different faith and also non-believers. They added that all these citizens are entitled to be treated with equal dignity by the government.
On the other hand, Supervisor Don Knabe who supported the reinsertion of the cross showed his disapproval with the court's ruling, arguing the cross is a significant historic reminder. Knabe added that the San Gabriel Mission is arguably the birthplace of the Los Angeles County region. He said that the mission has been an influence on the expansion and development of the County for hundreds of years as reported by the Daily Breeze.
Antonovich said that any California student would know the importance of the cross to the region as well as the birthplace of Los Angeles County. He added that certain cities like San Luis Obispo and counties of Ventura and San Bernardino have also crosses on their seals which were also a part of the San Gabriel Mission.
