It’s been 156 years since the Confederate army surrendered, but Gen. Robert E. Lee is still losing.
On Thursday, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that a sixty foot statue of the Confederate general in Richmond, Virginia can be removed from state property.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, ordered the removal last year, but his decision was challenged by five area residents and an heir to the family that initially granted the land for the monument over 130 years ago.
Thursday’s ruling confirmed a lower court’s decision. Justice S. Bernard Goodwyn wrote, “The Commonwealth has the power to cease from engaging in a form of government speech when the message conveyed by the expression changes into a message that the Commonwealth does not support even if some members of the citizenry disagree.”
“Ultimately, the check on the Commonwealth’s government speech must be the electoral process, not the contrary beliefs of a portion of the citizenry, or of a nineteenth-century governor and legislature,” Goodwyn added.
“Today’s ruling is a tremendous win for the people of Virginia,” Northam said in a statement Thursday. “Our public memorials are symbols of who we are and what we value. When we honor leaders who fought to preserve a system that enslaved human beings, we are honoring a lost cause that has burdened Virginia for too many years.”
The Washington Post explains, “The statue had become the centerpiece of racial justice protests in Richmond and around the country triggered by the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minnesota police.”
It’s unclear when the statue will come down. A different statue of Lee was taken down in Charlottesville, Virginia, in July.
