in the united states, the public display of hanukkiahs and christmas trees on public grounds has been the source of legal battles. specifically, in the 1989 "county of allegheny v. aclu" case, the majority of the us supreme court ruled that the public display of hanukkiahs and christmas trees did not violate the establishment clause because the two symbols were not endorsements of the jewish or christian faith, rather the two items are part of the same winter-holiday season, which, the court found, had attained a secular status in us society.