EDS NOTE: OBSCENITY – FILE – This Friday, July 10, 2020, the file photo is the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia. The Virginia Supreme Court will hear arguments on Tuesday, June 8th. 2021, in legal challenges against Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s plan to destroy the 131-year-old statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
EDS NOTE: OBSCENITY – FILE – This Friday, July 10, 2020, the file photo is the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia. The Virginia Supreme Court will hear arguments on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, in legal challenges against Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s plan to destroy the 131-year-old statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
EDS NOTE: OBSCENITY – FILE – A large group of protesters gather around the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue near downtown Richmond, Virginia this Tuesday, June 2, 2020. The Virginia Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on Tuesday, June 8, 2021 contesting Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s plan to dismantle the 131-year-old statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
From DENISE LAVOIE Associated Press
RICHMOND, Virginia (AP) – A 131-year-old statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee took center stage on Tuesday as the Virginia Supreme Court heard arguments over whether the state has the right to destroy the once-celebrated memorial that will become today widely regarded as a symbol of white supremacy and black oppression.
The court heard arguments in two lawsuits challenging Governor Ralph Northam’s plan to remove the giant bronze equestrian statue of Lee from a roundabout on Monument Avenue in Richmond.
When the judges will issue their verdict is unclear. It takes an average of six to nine weeks for the court to reach decisions after the hearing, but there are big differences between cases. During Tuesday’s virtual hearing, the judges did not ask a single question to the prosecutor or the lawyers representing plaintiffs in the proceedings. Although the court had set aside a total of 70 minutes for the argument in both cases, the actual argument lasted a little over 30 minutes.
Northam announced its decision to remove the statue in June 2020, 10 days after George Floyd’s death under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer sparked protests against police brutality and racism in cities across the country, including Richmond. The state-approved statue became the epicenter of a protest movement in Virginia after Floyd’s death and is now covered in anti-racist and anti-police graffiti.