Virginia governor can remove Robert E. Lee statue, judge rules

A Virginia judge ruled late Tuesday that Gov. Ralph Northam (D) has the authority to remove a 60-foot-high statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from Monument Avenue in Richmond, the state capital. The Lee statue is the only one left standing, after the other monuments were either removed, modified, or torn down. A group of Richmond residents had sued to stop Northam from removing the Lee statue in June, arguing that would "degrade" their neighborhood and lower their property values, NPR News reports. The plaintiffs are expected to appeal.

"We are one step closer to a more equitable and honest Virginia," Northam tweeted after the ruling was handed down. The statue of Lee, the top Confederate general in the Civil War, was erected in 1890; Richmond is the former capital of the Confederacy.

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