NC judge dismisses NAACP lawsuit seeking to remove Confederate statue in Graham

GRAHAM, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina judge has dismissed a lawsuit by civil rights leaders that sought the removal of a Confederate statue in front of a historic courthouse.

Superior Court Judge Don Bridges ruled Tuesday, Sept. 14 against the state NAACP, which had argued that the 30-foot monument standing in front of the Alamance County Courthouse was a danger to public safety and violated constitutional rights to equal protection.

CONTROVERSY CONTINUES OVER ALAMANCE COUNTY CONFEDERATE MONUMENT

At the top of the monument stands a Confederate soldier, and inside the concrete base of the monument is a copper box containing the names of 1,100 Confederate soldiers in the Civil War from Alamance as well as Confederate relics.

A 2015 state law sharply limits state and local governments from removing Confederate statues and other objects of remembrance.

The NAACP had argued in its 2021 lawsuit that county officials had leeway to remove the statue under an exception for public safety.