Judge dismisses suit over Louisville Confederate monument

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – A judge in Louisville has given the city the go-ahead to remove an 1895 Confederate monument by dismissing a lawsuit that sought to keep it at its original site.

In a written ruling, Jefferson Circuit Judge Judith McDonald-Burkman determined that the city had the right to remove the stone obelisk near the University of Louisville that was built as a tribute to dead Confederate soldiers. Mayor Greg Fischer has pledged to have the monument cleaned and moved to a new location, though that site has not been chosen.

Burkman’s ruling Thursday echoed her orders after a May 25 hearing over a restraining order she issued that temporarily halted the statue’s removal.

A call to attorney Thomas McAdam, who is representing the Sons of Confederate Veterans, was not returned Monday morning.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.