Governor Ralph Northam’s office teased out the news late in the day on June 3rd and formally announced the following day that he ordered immediate action to remove the state owned Robert E. Lee statue on Monument Avenue.
Shortly after his declaration some opponents questioned the governor’s authority to act unilaterally while others cited century old deeds that raised intriguing legal questions about how the state may utilize the property.
Late in the day on June 8th Richmond Circuit Court Judge Brad Cavedo issued an injunction halting the state’s efforts to remove the Robert E. Lee statue from the grounds at the intersection of Monument & Allen.
Throughout the summer new plaintiff’s joined the case and at one point the lawsuits moved from state to federal court before being sent back into the state courts.
Going into the autumn the legal injunctions were extended and the case moved towards a trial on October 19. According to the current suit:
The residents claim Northam’s action violates a resolution adopted by the General Assembly in 1889 establishing the monument, as well as promises to protect the statue in the 1887 and 1890 deeds conveying the property to the state.
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