public monuments

Lawyers for the city of Charleston say a marker honoring a Confederate general is not protected from removal under South Carolina law because of the way the 2000 act was written. The attorney say the Heritage Act only protects monuments to 10 wars specifically mentioned. They wrote "Robert E. Lee is not a war" in a letter to state Attorney General Alan Wilson, who demanded the city put the maker back in front of the Charleston Charter School for Math and Science. The city removed the marker last summer after the school's principal said it was a pain point for the majority-minority school which was also the first in Charleston to integrate.

A Los Angeles visual arts space wants to display a South Carolina statue of former vice president and slavery advocate John C. Calhoun as part of an art exhibit. But members of a city panel have raised concerns about the political nature of such a display. The Charleston Commission on History on Wednesday voted to delay making a recommendation to city council until more information could be provided. A nonprofit wants to move the Calhoun monument to Los Angeles to create an exhibit on Confederate imagery. Walker said the statue would be a valuable addition because Calhoun had "a pivotal role in the expansion and protection of slavery in the United States."

The South Carolina Supreme Court has ruled a state law preventing anyone from moving a Confederate monument or changing the historical name of a street or building without the Legislature's permission is legal. But in the same ruling Wednesday, the justices struck down a requirement that two-thirds of the General Assembly must approve a move or name change. The ruling keeps intact South Carolina's Heritage Act. The 2000 law has prevented colleges and local governments from removing Confederate monuments or the names of segregationists from buildings. Lawmakers have refused to even take up any requests to remove monuments over the past few years even as other Southern cities act.