Justices_NN2 appear_VV0 divided_VVN over_II cross_NN1 on_II park_NN1 land_NN1 WASHINGTON_NP1 --_JJ Supreme_JJ Court_NN1 arguments_NN2 over_II a_AT1 cross_NN1 at_II a_AT1 national_JJ preserve_NN1 in_II California_NP1 turned_VVD tense_JJ Wednesday_NPD1 ,_, revealing_VVG the_AT divisions_NN2 among_II justices_NN2 regarding_II religious_JJ symbols_NN2 on_II public_JJ grounds_NN2 ._. 
One_MC1 of_IO the_AT most_RGT heated_JJ exchanges_NN2 came_VVD when_RRQ an_AT1 American_JJ Civil_JJ Liberties_NN2 Union_NN1 lawyer_NN1 emphasized_VVD the_AT power_NN1 of_IO the_AT cross_NN1 --_NN1 erected_VVD to_TO honor_VVI U.S._NP1 soldiers_NN2 killed_VVN in_II World_NN1 War_NN1 I_MC1 --_NN1 as_II a_AT1 symbol_NN1 of_IO Christianity_NN1 ._. 
Justice_NP1 Antonin_NP1 Scalia_NP1 challenged_VVD him_PPHO1 on_II the_AT implication_NN1 that_CST the_AT cross_NN1 was_VBDZ not_XX honoring_VVG all_DB the_AT war_NN1 dead_JJ ._. 
Though_CS the_AT legal_JJ question_NN1 before_II the_AT court_NN1 Wednesday_NPD1 was_VBDZ narrow_JJ ,_, it_PPH1 showcased_VVD familiar_JJ ideological_JJ divisions_NN2 between_II conservatives_NN2 such_II21 as_II22 Scalia_NP1 and_CC liberals_NN2 such_II21 as_II22 Justice_NP1 Ruth_NP1 Bader_NP1 Ginsburg_NP1 ._. 
The_AT case_NN1 involves_VVZ a_AT1 memorial_NN1 that_CST dates_VVZ to_II 1934_MC when_RRQ the_AT Veterans_NN2 of_IO Foreign_JJ Wars_NN2 erected_VVD a_AT1 cross_NN1 at_II Sunrise_NN1 Rock_NN1 in_II San_NP1 Bernardino_NP1 County_NN1 ._. 
The_AT land_NN1 is_VBZ now_RT part_NN1 of_IO the_AT Mojave_NN1 National_JJ Preserve_NN1 and_CC under_II the_AT authority_NN1 of_IO the_AT National_JJ Park_NN1 Service_NN1 ._. 
The_AT cross_NN1 structure_NN1 at_II the_AT Sunrise_NN1 Rock_NN1 outcropping_NN1 has_VHZ been_VBN replaced_VVN several_DA2 times_NNT2 and_CC the_AT current_JJ cross_NN1 ,_, put_VVD up_RP in_II 1998_MC ,_, is_VBZ about_RG 5_MC feet_NN2 tall_JJ ._. 
In_II 2001_MC ,_, Frank_NP1 Buono_NP1 ,_, a_AT1 former_DA park_NN1 service_NN1 worker_NN1 ,_, sued_VVD the_AT U.S._NP1 government_NN1 ,_, objecting_VVG because_CS it_PPH1 allowed_VVD the_AT cross_NN1 but_CCB no_AT other_JJ religious_JJ symbols_NN2 at_II the_AT site_NN1 ._. 
Park_NN1 officials_NN2 had_VHD rejected_VVN a_AT1 request_NN1 for_IF a_AT1 Buddhist_JJ shrine_NN1 near_II the_AT cross_NN1 ._. 
Lower_JJR federal_JJ courts_NN2 ruled_VVD that_CST the_AT cross_NN1 at_II the_AT national_JJ preserve_NN1 violated_VVD the_AT required_JJ constitutional_JJ separation_NN1 of_IO church_NN1 and_CC state_VV0 under_II the_AT First_MD Amendment_NN1 ._. 
A_AT1 judge_NN1 ordered_VVD the_AT cross_NN1 taken_VVN down_RP ;_; it_PPH1 has_VHZ been_VBN covered_VVN during_II the_AT appeal_NN1 ._. 
The_AT issue_NN1 for_IF the_AT justices_NN2 is_VBZ not_XX the_AT lower_JJR court_NN1 decisions_NN2 finding_VVG a_AT1 constitutional_JJ violation_NN1 ,_, but_CCB whether_CSW Congress_NN1 '_GE subsequent_JJ attempt_NN1 to_TO save_VVI the_AT cross_NN1 was_VBDZ lawful_JJ ._. 
Congress_NN1 designated_VVD the_AT cross_NN1 a_AT1 national_JJ memorial_NN1 and_CC passed_VVD a_AT1 law_NN1 in_II 2004_MC calling_VVG for_IF the_AT transfer_NN1 of_IO the_AT land_NN1 on_II which_DDQ the_AT cross_NN1 sits_VVZ ._. 
Congress_NN1 said_VVD the_AT Interior_JJ Department_NN1 must_VM give_VVI the_AT land_NN1 to_II the_AT VFW_NP1 in_II exchange_NN1 for_IF a_AT1 privately_RR owned_VVN parcel_NN1 elsewhere_RL in_II the_AT preserve_NN1 ._. 
The_AT U.S._NP1 Court_NN1 of_IO Appeals_NN2 for_IF the_AT 9th_MD Circuit_NN1 blocked_VVD the_AT 2004_MC law_NN1 ,_, saying_VVG it_PPH1 could_VM not_XX be_VBI validly_RR enforced_VVN "_" without_IW running_JJ afoul_NN1 "_" of_IO the_AT court_NN1 order_NN1 forbidding_VVG the_AT cross_NN1 ._. 
Appealing_VVG that_DD1 decision_NN1 ,_, U.S._NP1 Solicitor_NN1 General_NNB Elena_NP1 Kagan_NP1 called_VVD Congress_NN1 '_GE action_NN1 a_AT1 "_" sensible_JJ solution_NN1 ._. "_" 
She_PPHS1 said_VVD Congress_NN1 could_VM simply_RR have_VHI removed_VVN the_AT cross_NN1 but_CCB such_DA action_NN1 would_VM have_VHI done_VDN away_RL with_IW "_" a_AT1 memorial_NN1 that_CST for_IF 75_MC years_NNT2 had_VHD commemorated_VVN America_NP1 's_VBZ fallen_VVN soldiers_NN2 and_CC had_VHD acquired_VVN deep_RR meaning_VVG for_IF the_AT veterans_NN2 in_II the_AT community_NN1 ._. "_" 
Justices_NN2 John_NP1 Paul_NP1 Stevens_NP1 ,_, Stephen_NP1 Breyer_NP1 and_CC Ginsburg_NP1 seemed_VVD most_RGT skeptical_JJ of_IO her_APPGE argument_NN1 ._. 
Ginsburg_NP1 elicited_VVD from_II Kagan_NP1 that_CST no_AT other_JJ national_JJ memorial_NN1 consists_VVZ of_IO a_AT1 solitary_JJ cross_NN1 ._. 
Eliasberg_NP1 ,_, representing_VVG Buono_NP1 ,_, said_VVD he_PPHS1 was_VBDZ not_XX aware_JJ of_IO any_DD other_JJ time_NNT1 that_DD1 Congress_NN1 had_VHD passed_VVN a_AT1 law_NN1 to_TO try_VVI to_TO get_VVI around_RP a_AT1 court_NN1 's_GE decision_NN1 that_CST the_AT federal_JJ government_NN1 violated_VVD the_AT Constitution_NN1 ._. 
Chief_JJ Justice_NN1 John_NP1 Roberts_NP1 and_CC Justices_NN2 Scalia_NP1 and_CC Samuel_NP1 Alito_NP1 challenged_VVD Eliasberg_NP1 most_RGT vigorously_RR ._. 
