x
Breaking News
More () »

Judge issues order halting Richmond's Robert E. Lee statue removal for 10 days

A judge has issued a 10-day injunction preventing the removal of the monument to Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia.
Credit: AP
An inspection crew from the Virginia Department of General Services inspect the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue Monday Jun. 8, 2020, in Richmond, Va. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has ordered the removal of the statue. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

RICHMOND, Va. — A judge in Richmond has issued an injunction preventing Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's administration from removing an iconic statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee for the next 10 days. 

The temporary injunction order issued Monday says the state is a party to a deed recorded in March 1890 whereby it accepted the statue, pedestal and ground they sit on and agreed to "faithfully guard and affectionately protect" them. 

Northam last week ordered the statue of Lee taken down, citing the pain felt across the country over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis after a white police officer pressed a knee into his neck.

RELATED: Crews inspect, but won't yet remove, Richmond's Lee statue

RELATED: 'A long time coming': Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee statue in Virginia to be removed

Before You Leave, Check This Out