Group Says Proposal on Columbaria Violates Establishment Clause

Americans United announced Wednesday that it has written to the Berkeley, California City Council to object to a pending ordinance relating to storage of cremated human remains. (Full text of letter.) Currently Berkeley totally prohibits graveyards within the city limits. A proposal from the city's Planning Commission would allow religious groups with dedicated meeting space to use part of that space to store urns containing cremated human remains. AU says that by limiting the ability of secular groups to similarly create columbaria, the proposed ordinance would violate the Establishment Clause.