Supreme Court delays Mt. Soledad cross removal

By Alison St John / Reporter, KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published July 2, 2006 at 9:00 PM PDT

This story was published more than 18 years ago.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy has issued a stay, delaying an order by a federal judge to take down the Mount Soledad cross, pending a further ruling. KPBS reporter Alison St John has more

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy has issued a stay, delaying an order by a federal judge to take down the Mount Soledad cross, pending a further ruling. KPBS reporter Alison St John has more.

The ruling means the Mount Soledad cross is now on the Supreme Court's agendaThe ruling states that Judge's Thompson's federal order to remove the cross by August 1st is stayed, pending further order by either Justice Kennedy or the full Supreme Court.

Attorney Jim McElroy, who is fighting on behalf of atheist Philip Paulson to have the cross removed, says Justice Kennedy's order does not necessary mean the Supreme Court is going to hear the case.

Become a KPBS sponsor

McElroy: "This has nothing to do with whether the Supreme Court is ever going to hear the merits of this case , this is him saying everybody stay in place until I get a chance to review this matter and I'll get back to you."

A spokesperson at the Supreme Court says in cases involving tight deadlines, the court is likely to rule in a timely manner. The Ninth Circuit court of Appeal refused to consider the motion for a stay, opening the door for the city's appeal to the Supreme Court. Alison St John, KPBS News.

Alison St John

twitter

Alison St John currently serves as a general assignment reporter and occasionally co-hosts KPBS Midday Edition. She fell in love with KPBS Radio when she arrived in San Diego in 1985 and first heard NPR. She has been a voice on KPBS Radio since 1989, and has served as a news reporter for radio, TV and the web, as well as anchoring, hosting, producing and editing. Alison has reported on stories about North County and was based in the KPBS' North County Bureau. Alison covered the metro beat during the critical period of the San Diego City pension crisis, and the education beat while Alan Bersin was the controversial Superintendent of San Diego City School District. She covered health when the industry was converting to managed care and told welfare reform stories in the late 1990s when Clinton was “ending welfare as we know it.” She has covered land use issues extensively, looking at the challenges of meeting a growing population while preserving community character, and developing a better transportation system to meet environmental concerns. She has done many stories on the military in San Diego, and the series she edited on the challenges veterans face returning from active duty to civilian life won “Best of Show” from the San Diego Society of Professional Journalists. She occasionally hosts the KPBS Roundtable and KPBS Midday Edition. Alison has won awards from the San Diego Press Club, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Associated Press TV and Radio Association, and the California Golden Mike Awards. Alison was born in Tanzania, brought up in Scotland, and earned her degree in psychology and sociology from Durham University in England. Her postgraduate diploma is in student counseling. She worked in England, Nigeria, Switzerland, Belgium, India, and Japan before moving to the United States in 1981. She now lives in Oceanside and enjoys how her community is growing and changing.