A federal court dismissed a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) against the city of Las Cruces, N.M., which sought to remove three crosses from the town's official seal, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported.
The ACLU argued that the First Amendment's Establishment Clause prohibits the government from using religious symbols. It said the city's adoption of the symbol -- three crosses surrounded by a sunburst -- was the equivalent to an endorsement of religion.
The court found no indication that the city acted with a religious purpose in adopting and using its seal.
"The symbol communicates the secular message that the city's name means 'The Crosses' and links the city to its historic roots," the ruling said. "A reasonable observer of the symbol would understand that the crosses represent, symbolically, this uniquely named geopolitical subdivision, rather than an endorsement of Christianity."
