Judge Voids Alabama Law Protecting Confederate Monuments

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A ruling issued late Monday by Jefferson County Circuit Judge Michael Graffeo says a 2017 state law barring the removal or alteration of historical monuments violates the free speech rights of local communities.

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The state sued the city Birmingham two years ago after officials tried to remove a 52-foot-tall (15.85-meter)-tall obelisk that was erected to honor Confederate veterans in a downtown park in 1905.

Birmingham’s population is mostly black, and the judge says it’s indisputable that most citizens there are “repulsed” by the memorial.