Posted September 29, 2004

Dr. John C. Eastman, director of the Claremont Institute's Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, will be filing a civil complaint in the Los Angeles Superior Court this afternoon challenging the removal of the cross from the Los Angeles County Seal. The civil suit, styled David Horowitz et al. v. County of Los Angeles, et al., alleges that the County's decision to remove the cross is an illegal waste of taxpayer funds and violates the "No Preference" Clause of the California Constitution and the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution.

The suit is brought by a religiously diverse group of individuals who believe that the County's decision to remove the cross from a Seal reflecting the historical roots of Los Angeles County demonstrates hostility toward religion in general and Christianity in particular. Among the plaintiffs is David Hernandez, the official proponent of the Los Angeles County Seal Ordinance initiative,
currently being circulated among votes of Los Angeles County.

Also named in the complaint as defendants are Los Angeles County Supervisors Yvonne Burke, Gloria Molina, and Zev Yaroslovsky, who voted to remove the cross from the County Seal.

Eastman is joined on the complaint by co-counsel Manuel Klausner, of counsel with the Individual Rights Foundation, William Becker, and Donald Wagner. A news conference will be held at 2:00 p.m. outside the Los Angeles County Courthouse, at the southwest corner of the building (corner of First Street and Grand Avenue). Nationally syndicated radio personality Dennis Prager, who has supported efforts to retain the original county seal, will participate in the news conference.

For more information, contact John Eastman at (714) 628-2587.

Click here for a list of filings in this case.