The Washington-based American Center for Law and Justice is setting itself up as the anti-ACLU, by offering assistance to any city or county threatened with legal action because of religious symbols in city or county government seals.
The ACLJ say it will help defend the seals because it believes they are constitutional.
"It is troubling that the ACLU is attempting to bully communities across America into changing a part of their history," said Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the ACLJ.
"The symbol of the cross included in many city and county seals represents an important historical reference for many of these communities. The ACLU is trying to re-write history by applying pressure tactics with a flawed legal strategy to have these symbols removed," the ACLJ said in a press release.
The ACLJ says it wanted to help Los Angeles County defend its seal, which includes a cross. The ACLU threatened a lawsuit unless the county removes the cross, which reflects the county's mission origins. To the ACLJ's disappointment, county officials decided to remove the cross rather than defend it in court.
"We know the ACLU will not stop with Los Angeles County," said Sekulow. "The ACLU will continue to threaten other communities and we will be ready to assist in defending the history and symbols of cities and counties."
The ACLJ says it is preparing a legal memorandum that focuses on the constitutionality of religious symbols in government seals. It plans to send a letter to cities and counties that have crosses in their government seals and may therefore become targets of the ACLU.
The American Center for Law and Justice provides legal services free of charge. It already is challenging the ACLU in a number of cases involving the constitutional display of the Ten Commandments in communities across America.
