“The removal will desecrate, damage, and likely destroy the Memorial longstanding at ANC as a grave marker and impede the Memorial’s eligibility for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.”
A Trump appointed federal judge issued a temporary restraining order on Monday barring the removal of the Reconciliation Monument in Arlington National Cemetery.
According to NBC 4, Defend Arlington filed a lawsuit on Sunday in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, seeking a restraining order on the monument’s removal. A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.
Work had been underway on Monday morning when the order was issued, but the monument had yet to be deconstructed.
On Friday, the cemetery said that it expected to complete the removal this week, adding that the removal was required by Congress.
The lawsuit accuses the Army, which runs the famed cemetery, of violating regulations when they sought the removal of the monument.
“The removal will desecrate, damage, and likely destroy the Memorial longstanding at ANC as a grave marker and impede the Memorial’s eligibility for listing on the National Register of Historic Places,” the lawsuit states.
A federal judge in the District of Columbia last week dismissed a lawsuit seeking to block the removal, brought forth by the same group.
US District Judge Rossie Alston told the plaintiffs to be prepared to discuss how that case affects the decision on whether to extend the restraining order past Wednesday.
In a footnote, Alston wrote that he “takes very seriously the representations of officers of the Court and should the representations in this case be untrue or exaggerated the Court may take appropriate sanctions.”
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
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