US-CONSTITUTION-JUSTICE-RELIGION

The World War I memorial cross in Bladensburg, Maryland -- near the nation's capital Washington -- is seen on February 08,2019. - The US government asked the Supreme Court to rule in favor of the cross that serves as a war memorial, which critics say is an unconstitutional state religious endorsement. Arguments are scheduled to be heard on February 27, 2019. Any ruling by the top court will have implications for numerous monuments across the country, including two other crosses situated inside the Arlington military cemetery on the edge of Washington. The cross is built on public land and its maintenance is paid for with public funds and for that reason, the Washington-based American Humanist Association (AHA) holds that the monument violates the US Constitution's First Amendment forbidding the government from favoring any one religion. (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP) (Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)