Judge starts new injunction barring Lee statue removal in Richmond

The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee is the only Confederate monument left on...
The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee is the only Confederate monument left on Monument Avenue, Friday July 10, 2020, in Richmond, Va. The city of Richmond removed 11 Confederate monuments along Monument Avenue as well as other locations in the city. The Lee monument owned by the State of Virginia is scheduled to be removed after a court injunction is resolved. Plans to remove the statue include cutting it up into three pieces. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)(Steve Helber | AP)
Updated: Aug. 3, 2020 at 2:25 PM EDT
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RICHMOND, Va. (AP/WWBT) - A Virginia judge has dissolved one injunction but imposed another preventing Virginia’s governor from removing an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

The new 90-day injunction bars the statue’s removal while claims in a lawsuit filed by a group of Richmond property owners are litigated.

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring has filed a pending motion to dismiss the case. Gov. Ralph Northam announced plans to remove the statue in early June, citing the pain felt across the country about the death of George Floyd.

In reference to Monday’s ruling, Northam’s office said: “Governor Northam appreciates the dismissal of the Gregory case, and looks forward to another victory in court as soon as possible. This statue will come down—and Virginia will be better for it.”

(Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.)

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