LAS CRUCES CROSS LOGO CASE SET FOR TRIAL

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — This New Mexican city is being sued in an effort to force officials to remove three crosses from its logo.

Paul Weinbaum and Martin Boyd of Las Cruces filed a lawsuit against the city last year in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque. The lawsuit alleges the emblem violates the constitutional separation of church and state by placing religious symbols on public property and spending public money to promote religion. Las Cruces is Spanish for "the crosses."

The lawsuit also accuses the city of violating the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by requiring prospective employees to sign job applications that include a religious symbol.

The city has spent more than $16,000 defending itself against the lawsuit, said City Manager Terrence Moore.

Weinbaum, who initially represented himself in the case, has hired an attorney.

The trial is set to begin in November. New Mexico State University history professor Jon Hunner is expected to provide the court with an account of the historical significance of the crosses.

A separate lawsuit was filed in 2003 by Weinbaum and another Las Cruces resident, Jesse Chavez, against Las Cruces Public Schools for its use of the crosses on its vehicles and logos. No trial date has been set in that case.