The University of Texas at Austin announced a delay in moving statues commemorating the president of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis, and U.S. President Woodrow Wilson because of court filings in state district court.
The decision by the university came late Friday afternoon, according to a report in the Dallas Morning News (DMN) “Trailblazer” blog. The judge has yet to issue a temporary-restraining order (TRO), but university officials voluntarily decided to put off any moving plans until the court rules. The Sons of Confederate Veterans have asked the court to grant a temporary restraining order (TRO) to prohibit the university from moving the confederate statue.
The court is expected to review the matter sometime in the coming week.
“Universities have the discretion under state law to relocate statues on their campuses,” Susswein told the DMN. “President Fenves’ decision to move the Jefferson Davis statue to UT’s Briscoe Center for American History is both the right course forward and consistent with the law. We are confident we will move ahead with these plans.”
A donation from the estate of George Littlefield, a major UT-Austin donor, paid for the statue of President Davis. The Sons of Confederate Veterans spokesman Marshall Davis told the DMN they believe moving the statue violates the intent of the donor.
At this time, the other statues related to the Confederate States of America are not going to be moved, as previously reported by Breitbart Texas. “James Stephen Hogg, Albert Sidney Johnston, and John Reagan had deep ties to Texas,” UT President Gregory Fenves wrote in a letter addressed to the UT community. “Robert E. Lee’s complicated legacy to Texas and the nation should not be reduced to his role in the Civil War.”
Breitbart Texas will continue to follow this on-going story about the future of this and other statues related to the confederacy on the UT-Austin campus.
Bob Price is a senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas and a member of the original Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and on Facebook.
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