NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A plan to remove prominent Confederate monuments in New Orleans is being challenged in state court, shortly after a federal judge dismissed a similar attempt.
The lawsuit was filed Wednesday and again seeks to halt the city's planned removal of four Confederate monuments. This suit was filed by Pierre McGraw, president of the Monumental Task Committee Inc., a group that maintains the monuments.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier (BAHR'-bih-aye) rejected a similar challenge by McGraw's group and other preservationists as well as a chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. They claimed the removal violated their constitutional rights and several laws.
In December, the City Council voted 6-1 to remove the monuments because they represent white supremacist ideologies. Removing the monuments has stirred passions on both sides.