The infamous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee can officially be removed, the Virginia Supreme Court rules.
On Thursday, Virginia’s Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the offensive statute of the racist slave owner general Robert. E. Lee.
Lee was a well-known general who the led South’s attempt at secession during the Civil War. His statue was erected in 1890.
In its decision, the Supreme Court said “values change and public policy changes too” in a democracy. They continued mentioning that the statue’s existence communicates principles that many believe to be inconsistent with the values the Commonwealth currently wishes to express.”
While Virginia initially promised to keep the statue forever in 1887 and 1890, the justices said that no longer applies, ABC News reports.
“Those restrictive covenants are unenforceable as contrary to public policy and for being unreasonable because their effect is to compel … the Commonwealth to express, in perpetuity, a message with which it now disagrees,” the justices wrote.
