Why Pittsburgh’s Menorah Went to the U.S. Supreme Court
There are tons of holiday traditions in Downtown Pittsburgh, including a special ceremony to mark the start of Hanukkah. Each year, the mayor and community leaders light a 12-foot menorah in front of the City-County Building. But its place on government property wasn’t always celebrated. In 1986, a group of Pittsburghers brought a lawsuit against our local governments to remove both the menorah and the creche, which in those days sat outside the County Courthouse. We’re talking with one of the plaintiffs, attorney Jon Pushinsky, about his legal argument and what it felt like to take this case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
**This episode originally published December 6, 2023.
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Pennsylvania Center for Women & Politics at Chatham University
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