Supreme Court won't hear challenge to Christmas as U.S. holiday

CINCINNATI - The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a Cincinnati lawyer's argument that the federal government's observance of Christmas as a legal public holiday violates the Constitution.

The Court on Monday declined to hear Ganulin's lawsuit. Two other federal courts previously had ruled against him. The Supreme Court's refusal to hear the case lets stand a ruling by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejecting Ganulin's argument.

Richard Ganulin didn't return a telephone call to his office for a response yesterday.

Ganulin, who is Jewish, filed suit in 1998 arguing that Congress violated the separation of church and state by embracing the Christian holiday more than a century ago.

Lawyers for the government and a private organization, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, responded that the Christmas federal holiday is constitutional because celebrating it is not mandatory. The private organization represented three federal employees who intervened in the case to keep Christmas as a holiday.

Government lawyers defending the holiday said courts repeatedly have recognized secular aspects of Christmas, including holly, ivy, Christmas trees, Santa Claus, snowmen, jingling bells and presents on Christmas morning.

Congress in 1870 established Christmas, New Year's Day and a day of thanksgiving as holidays in the District of Columbia, government lawyers said in written arguments filed in court.

– The Associated Press