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Virginia court to hear challenges to removal of Lee statue

Confederate Monument Richmond
Posted at 3:35 PM, Jun 06, 2021
and last updated 2021-06-06 15:35:03-04

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Supreme Court of Virginia is set to hear arguments in legal challenges to Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's plan to take down a 131-year-old statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

The high court will hear arguments Tuesday in two lawsuits filed by people who believe the massive statue should stay where it is.

Northam’s decision was announced in June 2020, just 10 days after George Floyd’s death under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer.

Separate lawsuits were filed by a group of Richmond residents who own property near the statue and a descendant of signatories to a 1890 deed that transferred the statue, pedestal and ground they sit on to the state.