Watch CBS News

Maryland AG Won't Immediately Weigh In On Cross Dispute

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland's attorney general has infuriated Gov. Larry Hogan by declining, for the moment, to join a legal fight against a ruling that a prominent cross-shaped war monument on public violates the U.S. Constitution.

Democratic Attorney General Brian E. Frosh sent a letter to the Republican governor on Wednesday, declining his directive to file an amicus brief in support of the parties challenging the ruling. In October, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit concluded that the World War I memorial on a highway median in Bladensburg, just outside of Washington, "excessively entangles the government in religion."

RELATED: Court Asked To Reconsider Ruling On Peace Cross War Memorial

Frosh said it's not the appropriate time to file an animus brief, but he would monitor the situation.

Hogan called Frosh's response a "dereliction" of his duties.

Follow @CBSBaltimore on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook

(© Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.