DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF News) – The temporary restraining order blocking the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue in Lee Park was dissolved by a federal judge on Thursday, which means the process to remove the statue can go forward.
The Dallas City Council voted 13 to 1 on Wednesday to have the statue removed immediately and placed in storage until a task force decides what to do with it.
After the vote, crews immediately began dismantling the statue while a crowd of people both for and against the removal watched.
A few hours after crews began, the temporary restraining order was filed against Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings by Hiram Patterson, a member of the Texas Division of the Sons of the Confederate Veterans.
At Thursday’s hearing, the judge ruled that the group failed to prove that the city violated the first amendment or that they failed to execute due process.
The judge said the ruling came down to two things. The city has its own first amendment rights to express, through free speech, that they no longer want the statue at the park.
The judge also ruled that the city did follow proper guidelines and gave the public enough time to comment on the issue.
It’s not yet known when the city will remove the statue.
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