Virginia Judge Temporarily Stops Removal Of Statue Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee In Richmond

Richmond judge Bradley Cavedo has blocked the plan of Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) to remove a Confederate statue of General Robert E. Lee. The judge’s order will halt the removal of the statue for ten days.

The statue in question resides in Richmond’s historic Monument Avenue.

Last Thursday, Northam said in response to the nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd, that the statue of Lee would come down “immediately” and be moved into storage as they “work with the community to determine its future.”

However, Cavedo’s order came after William Gregory, a descendent of the family who donated the statue, filed a lawsuit against Northam and the director of the Department of General Services who had plans to remove the statue.

In Gregory’s complaint filed Monday, he argued that removing the statue would violate an 1890 deed which stated that Virginia agreed to “faithfully guard and affectionately protect” the statue.

“Gov. Northam remains committed to removing this divisive symbol from Virginia’s capital city, and we’re confident in his authority to do so,” said Alena Yarmosky in a statement.

On Tuesday, Northam said he will move forward with removing the monument. “This is a statue that is divisive. It needs to come down and we are on very legal solid grounds to have it taken down,” he said.