University Of Texas In Court Over Removal Of Jefferson Davis Statue
Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter
AUSTIN (AP) - University of Texas officials are scheduled to be in court, seeking a judge's permission to remove a statue of Confederate president Jefferson Davis from the main area of campus.
Thursday's afternoon hearing comes after the nearly century-old bronze statue was targeted by vandals, and activists say it should be removed as a symbol of the state's racist past.
New school President Greg Fenves has ordered the Davis statue moved to a campus museum, but will allow other Confederate statues to remain.
The Sons of Confederate Veterans is asking a state judge in Austin to block the move. They argue the school needs permission from the Legislature or other state agencies to move Davis.
Davis' great-great-grandson, Bertram Hayes-Davis of Mississippi, has said moving the statue would be "appropriate and reasonable."
(© Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)