A US federal judge Monday halted the removal of a Confederate memorial at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, just across the Potomac River from Washington DC. The temporary injunction was issued after US Army crewmembers began to dismantle the statue per the January 1 deadline given by Congress.
With the monument scheduled to be torn down before the end of the week, US District Judge Rossie Alston implicated possible disturbances to the surrounding burial sites by the removal of the tall bronze statue when temporarily blocking the project. The injunction comes after Defend Arlington, a group affiliated with Save Southern Heritage Florida, filed a lawsuit against the removal of the monument. The complaint alleges that “the removal will desecrate, damage, and likely destroy the Memorial longstanding” at the Arlington National Cemetary.
The statue was built in 1914 and features a robed woman standing atop a pedestal. Beneath her are figures of Confederate soldiers and civilians representing the American South. In an effort to take down symbols representing Confederate leaders and the bolstering of slaveholders, Congress established the Naming Commission, which is aimed at removing any “names, monuments, or paraphernalia” tied to the confederacy. Under the collaboration of the Department of the Army and Department of Defense, the Naming Commission provides an assessment of costs, procedures in determining confederate relations and recommendations for renaming or removal within the January 1 timeline issued by Congress. In the report to Congress, the Naming Commission highlighted the “highly sanitized depictions of slavery.” Further, they note the “romanticized” look of the pre-Civil War South.
Several Republican leaders who sought to maintain the statue in accordance with historical ties and appreciation voiced their concerns and criticized the actions taken to remove the monument. “If we continue to eliminate history and the growth and wisdom gained from it, future generations are doomed to repeat it. This monument celebrates our nation coming back together as one,” said Congressman Bob Good on X (formerly Twitter). Arlington National Cemetary was established in 1864 on the site of the estate owned by Confederate army commander Robert E. Lee that was expropriated by the Union government after the Civil War started in 1861.
The temporary injunction is set to expire on Wednesday at 5 PM, and a hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.
