Judge rules Army must resume removal of Confederate Memorial from Arlington National Cemetery

ARLINGTON COUNTY, Va. (DC News Now) — A court ruled Tuesday evening that the Army will immediately resume the process of removing the Confederate Memorial from Arlington National Cemetery.

“While the work is performed, surrounding graves, headstones and the landscape will be carefully protected by a dedicated team, preserving the sanctity of all those laid to rest in Section 16,” a spokesperson for the cemetery told DC News Now.

This ruling comes after a federal judge on Monday issued a temporary restraining order barring the removal of the memorial from the cemetery. The Associated Press first reported that a group called Defend Arlington, affiliated with a group called Save Southern Heritage Florida, filed a lawsuit Sunday in federal court in Alexandria.

Judge issues order keeping Confederate memorial at Arlington National Cemetery for now

“This case essentially attempts to place this Court at the center of a great debate between
individuals extolling the virtues, romanticism and history of the Old South and equally passionate individuals, with government endorsement, who believe that art accentuating what they believe is a harsh depiction of a time when a certain race of people were enslaved and treated like property is not deserving of a memorial at a place of refuge, honor and national recognition,” the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia stated in the court ruling.

The court said that Defend Arlington — along with the other plaintiffs involved — did not establish that leaving the memorial in place was in the public interest. They were also unable to explain why removing the statue undermines the original significance of the placement of the memorial.

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