NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The Latest on the city of New Orleans’ plans to remove three statues honoring Confederate leaders (all times local):
5:15 p.m.
A judge in New Orleans has refused to block the city from removing a statue of a Confederate general.
Civil Court Judge Kern Reese ruled Monday afternoon. Hours earlier, monument supporters filed suit saying the city does not own the statue of Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard, and therefore cannot remove it.
They say documents show the statue belongs to a state agency that oversees the park where the statue is located. Reese refused to issue a temporary order to block the removal. He’s set a Wednesday morning hearing.
The Beauregard statue is one of three statues of Confederate figures the city plans to remove. City officials are keeping their timetable secret, citing security concerns.
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10 a.m.
Supporters of Confederate-era monuments slated for removal in New Orleans have launched a new court fight to save one of them.
A statue of Confederate Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard on horseback is at the main entrance to New Orleans City Park. Monument supporters say their research shows the statue is not owned by the city, but by the City Park Improvement Association, an agency overseen by the state.
Monument supporter Richard Marksbury said Monday that he’s filed a lawsuit in state court to prevent the statue’s removal.
The City Council voted in 2015 to take down four monuments. One has already been removed: that honoring a rebellion against a Reconstruction era-government in New Orleans. Statues of Beauregard, Gen. Robert E. Lee and Confederate President Jefferson Davis are to be removed soon.
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