Court Rejects Delay Motion In Wiccan Grave Marker Suit

A federal district court judge in Wisconsin has denied a motion by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to delay the start of a trial in a lawsuit seeking a decision on adding the Wiccan pentacle to the list of permissible symbols on veterans' memorial markers in national cemeteries. The Associated Press reported yesterday that in a one-line order, the court rejected a motion by the VA in Circle Sanctuary v. Nicholson to delay the trial while it finalizes a new rule on gravestone markers. The suit alleges that the VA has already delayed ruling on the matter for over nine years. (See prior posting.) Trial is now set to begin on the matter on June 29.