On Thursday morning, the Supreme Court ruled that the Peace Cross war memorial can remain on public land outside Washington, D.C., deciding that it does not violate the constitution in a 7-2 ruling.

Fox News reported that Residents of Prince George’s County, Maryland and the American Humanist Association had filed a lawsuit demanding that the memorial be taken down, but the highest court in the land ruled against them, explaining that factors like the history of the memorial support the notion that it is not religious in nature.

“For nearly a century, the Bladensburg Cross has expressed the community’s grief at the loss of the young men who perished, its thanks for their sacrifice, and its dedication to the ideals for which they fought,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the Supreme Court’s opinion. “It has become a prominent community landmark, and its removal or radical alteration at this date would be seen by many not as a neutral act but as the manifestation of ‘a hostility toward religion that has no place in our Establishment Clause traditions.'”

Alito went on to say that the cross is secular for historical reasons, as at the time of World War I, crosses were often used to honor the dead regardless of religion. This decision reverses that of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled that the cross was unconstitutional.

Known as the Bladensburg Peace Cross, the memorial has long sat on the traffic circle in the Washington suburbs, and it is meant to commemorate 49 local World War I soldiers who died in battle overseas. NPR reported that it was initially created by the grieving mothers of the soldiers, who wanted to find a way to honor them in their community. When they ran out of money, the American Legion took over the project for them before

Opponents of the cross say that it is a blatant overlap of church and state because it is controlled and cared for by a Maryland parks commission. However, supporters say that the cross is secular and was created only to honor American war heroes.

“And contrary to respondents’ intimations, there is no evidence of discriminatory intent in the selection of the design of the memorial or the decision of a Maryland commission to maintain it,” Alito added. “The Religion Clause of the Constitution aim to foster a society in which people of all beliefs can live together harmoniously, and the presence of the Bladensburg Cross on the land where it has stood for so many years is fully consistent with that aim.”