Court Upholds City's Decision To End Display of Christian Cross

On Tuesday, an Ottawa County, Michigan trial court judge dismissed a lawsuit seeking to force the city of Grand Haven to resume displaying a 48-foot Christian cross on Dewey Hill, a city-owned sand dune. Plaintiffs object to City Council's decision to turn the cross into a Coast Guard anchor. (See prior posting.) As reported by MLive, a group of seven residents sued the city alleging that the city's decision amounted to unconstitutional regulation of  speech in a traditional public forum and discriminated on the basis of religion. However the court held that the display is governmental speech and "the City has the right to determine what messages it sends through the use of its own governmental property." (See prior related posting.)