In a ground-breaking win for Equal Protection, a U.S. district judge, James Denver III, ruled that Black residents of Tyrrell County may proceed with their lawsuit to remove the Confederate monument in front of their courthouse. The County tried to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing to preserve the racist monument, which features an engraving dedicating the statue to “faithful slaves.” Emancipate NC attorneys Ian Mance and Jaelyn Miller represent plaintiffs, arguing that this inscription constitutes racially-discriminatory government speech, violating the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
The federal judge wrote: “Plaintiffs plausibly allege that the faithful slaves engraving has racially disproportionate impact on [B]lack residents of Tyrrell County. Plaintiffs also plausibly allege that an invidious discriminatory intent motivated Tyrrell County to install the faithful slaves engraving.”