Attorney General wants quick ruling in the removal of the Madison County Confederate Statue
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - Make a decision! That’s the message to a judge from Alabama’s Attorney General Steve Marshall.
He wants a quick ruling from the court regarding the relocation of the confederate statue from outside the Madison County Court House, to Maple Hill Cemetery.
The Attorney General is asking a judge to decide if Madison County is responsible to pay the required $25,000 fine for breaking the Memorial Preservation Act.
On Thursday, for the first time, we were able to get a look at some of the documents written from the Madison County Attorney to the state.
In a letter addressed June 30th, County Attorney Jeff Rich asked the Alabama’s Monument Protection Committee to waive the requirements of the Memorial Preservation Act of 2017.
Rich cited two reasons on why the monument needed to be moved from the courthouse.
The first saying the statue is a better fit at the cemetery and the city of Huntsville pledged support in the form of money, labor, and a location better suited for a historic monument.
The second reason was that Madison County is growing and Huntsville will soon be the largest city in the state. In the letter, Rich said the courthouse would eventually be remodeled and it could not be renovated without impacting the monument if it remained on courthouse grounds.
In the letter, Rich told the state the relocation proposed by the Madison County Commission strikes a difficult balance, but concluded the monument had no place at the steps of the courthouse.
Writing quote “the Madison County Courthouse will no longer have a negative message at its front door…”
The monument was moved in October 2020. Marshall filed the suit a month later.
The Attorney General says he deserves a quick ruling since the county didn’t get a waiver allowing the move.
The motion for summary judgement was filed by the state Attorney General’s Office March 17.
We will keep you updated as we learn more.
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