Pew Forum Weekly Update

ANALYSIS Faith on the Hill: The Religious Composition of the 112th Congress The political overhaul of the U.S. Congress after the 2010 elections appears to have had little effect on the religious composition of the legislative body, which is similar to the religious makeup of the previous Congress and of the nation, according to an analysis by the Pew Forum. Go to the analysis » See also: Faith on the Hill: 2008

LEGAL UPDATE Federal Court Rules Cross on Public Land in California Is Unconstitutional On Jan. 4, a federal appeals court in California ruled that a 43-foot cross on a public war memorial in San Diego amounted to "government endorsement of religion" and thus violated the U.S. Constitution. In spite of the ruling, the cross (which is part of the Mt. Soledad Veteran's Memorial) will not immediately be removed. Instead, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has sent the case back to a lower federal court, which has been charged with determining whether the war memorial can be modified so that it is no longer unconstitutional. The Forum has a number of resources on religious displays, including: an analysis of a 2010 Supreme Court decision in another case involving a cross on what originally was public land and an overview of the constitutional questions surrounding religious displays in the public square.

EVENT TRANSCRIPT American Grace: How Religion Unites and Divides Us The Pew Forum recently held a press luncheon with political science professors David Campbell and John Green on the topic of how religion both divides and unites Americans. Go to the event transcript » See also: a video excerpt from the event.