U.S. Appeals Court Rules Cross from WTC can Stay in Museum

Shortly after the collapse of the World Trade Center a steel beam in the shape of a cross was pulled from the rubble. In 2011 an atheist group filed suit against the museum and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and tried to block the cross from being displayed citing that it was unconstitutional. The atheist argued that it is a religious symbol and it should not be displayed in an institution which is sponsored by the government. The suit was dismissed in 2013 by U.S. District Judge Deborah Batts and the three judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit of Appeals upheld the ruling Monday with a unanimous decision. Circuit Judge Reena Raggi stated that the cross found at Ground Zero is simply "to recount the history of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and their aftermath."  Rescue workers had unearthed the crossed girders just two days following the attacks which killed almost 3000 people. The cross soon became a symbol of hope for many people and now stands in the National September 11 Memorial and Museum where it will remain.