PJI Urges L.A. County to Appeal Ruling Against Cross

Los Angeles, CA–The Pacific Justice Institute is urging Los Angeles County to appeal a court decision this week ordering the County to remove a historic cross from its seal.
 
A cross has been part of the L.A. County seal for most of the past 60 years.  Following an ACLU lawsuit, the seal was changed in 2004 to include the historic San Gabriel Mission.  At the time, a cross atop the mission had been removed for renovations.  The L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted in 2014 to update the depiction of the mission to include the cross that had since been replaced.

Following another ACLU lawsuit, the US. District Court for the Central District of California issued an injunction against the cross this week.
 
Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute, commented, “The ACLU may not like our state and national history, but no lawsuit can change reality.  The historic San Gabriel Mission is a crucial part of the history of Los Angeles, and it should be depicted on the county seal the same way it appears in real life.”
 
PJI is offering to lend legal support to the County if it chooses to appeal, such as filing a friend-of-the-court brief. ​