Court rules Los Angeles historic cross, nativity display can remain

A federal appeals court on Monday ruled that a nearly century-old 10-foot cross and historic nativity scene would remain on display in Los Angeles’ El Pueblo neighborhood. The court rejected a local resident’s claim that the religious display offended him and made him feel excluded as an atheist. Los Angeles can now retain its full history, including the parts that are religious, Becket Fund for Religious Liberty said in a Tuesday statement. The religious legal nonprofit represented a group of merchants from the El Pueblo community who fought to keep the display in place.

What did the court rule? Jack Gerritsen sued the city government over the monuments in 2025, contending it violated the Constitution’s establishment clause, which bars the government from favoring one religion over another. A district court ruled against him, and he appealed to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The 9th Circuit ruled that Gerritsen failed to establish that he would suffer irreparable harm if the display was left in place.

Why did the city put up the cross? The cross was built in 1929 to commemorate Los Angeles’ 148th birthday, while the nativity is part of an annual December display for the community’s traditional Las Posadas celebration.

Religious imagery has been part of the nation’s history and shouldn’t be pulled down because one passerby dislikes it, said Becket attorney Andrea Butler. The Constitution doesn’t require cities to erase historical landmarks that reference religion.

How did Gerritsen respond to the ruling? WORLD attempted to contact Gerritsen through various phone numbers listed online. As of Wednesday afternoon, our attempts were unsuccessful.